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#i think its just because the idea of the “terrifying man being basically a human teddy bear” setup is endearing to me
theanomily · 5 months
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A concept I haven't seen enough of is Raven + physical comfort.
Like, in fanfics it's damn near always verbal (and yes that does make complete sense with her character; there is not a single universe in which she's all touchy-feely, especially not with anyone besides who she's close to).
However. I raise the point that we have, to my admittedly faulty recollection, never seen this demonstrated in the books. But something we have seen? Hugs.
After Anastasia's "death" while the Glasshouse is burning, we see Max give her a hug. It's stated it's the first one she's ever had, and it's an emotionally vulnerable teenage Raven we're talking about, so if she were at all opposed to it, he definitely would have gotten a black eye. She not only doesn't hurt him or pull herself away, but she allows herself to cry openly in his embrace, which is the exact opposite reaction than she'd give if she were uncomfortable. Basically, all I'm saying here is that she doesn't hate being hugged by someone she trusts, as a bare minimum.
But, lucky me, there's another example.
After she's been freed from the Animus, what's the first thing Max does? Hug her. By this point, there's been almost 14ish years between the incidents, so if Raven were merely tolerating being held/not outright despising it, he would have known. And he would likely have taken another course of action. But he doesn't. He knows, at least in that setup of Raven breaking down in tears, that it's the most effective thing to do.
Tl;dr- Raven likes hugs, and I want to see it. Because that girl needs a hug.
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httpjungkookcom · 5 months
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CYBER BOY | JJK (m)
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Pairing | Jungkook x Reader
Word Count | 12K, not bad!
Genre | Android! Jungkook x Grad Student! Reader, Fluff, Smut
Summary | Jimin, as much as you love him, is a major pain in your ass. After dragging you to his store against your will (literally) you end up with; the newly manufactured, eerily human Jungkook android model. He's so human, you begin to have questions.
Index | A lot of fluff, reader is terrified, Jungkook is a sweetheart, Jungkook is absolutely whipped, Jungkook is good at anything and everything you could think of, including pleasing you ;), soft smut, Jungkook just wants you to feel good
A/N | You don't really need to know the lore of Detroit Become Human, it's just briefly mentioned in the story. Cyber Life is basically a manufacturer of robots/androids, that's really all the background you need for the story. Enjoy! <3
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Jimin’s very busy today talking your ear off. Well, more than normal you should say. Two weeks ago he scored this huge paid internship with CyberLife, a company that currently holds a monopoly over all other tech companies with its superior android manufacturing, innovative technology, and competitive prices that “Are to sure surpass your expectations.” He was ecstatic, going on about how maybe they’ll gift him an android as an intern present (spoiler alert, they did not.) Regardless, they pay him very well for an internship and he loves their technology so he’s still happy. Now, it’s something about a new android he’s droning on about. 
“No, I don’t think you understand Y/n.” Jimin clarifies, walking alongside you on the campus pathway. “One in the entire world, only one is being made.” 
“I understand plenty, Jim.” You genuinely laugh, side-eyeing him as he questions your intelligence. “I think I understood the first time you said there’s only one, and the second time, and the third, and now the hundredth.” 
“And you don’t even want to see him?! I don’t understand!!” Jimin almost yells, wide eyes as he turns to you to emphasize his point. 
Ever since Jimin scored the internship, you constantly refuse to ever step foot in the company. Mostly because you know Jimin would try to market to you, and he’s got a reputation for never getting told no. That’s the excuse you always gave, telling him off every time he’d talk about the “low low price of 4,999 dollars!” Secondly, the androids freak you out a bit. They’re hyper-realistic, all the way down to every single man-made eyelash on their face. You’re sure if you look close enough, you could probably see fake pores. 
However, you don’t hate artificial intelligence at all, nor are you a part of the momentum-gaining group of “androids are stealing our jobs, and ruining society!” You suppose for you, it’s just how realistic they look, act, speak, and walk. Everything about them is human-like. Maybe if they had a Siri-sounding voice, or walked stiff, maybe you’d get behind the idea of owning one. 
“You would try and get me to buy it, why are you saying him? You never do that Jimin?” You ask, laughing softly. “What, you got a crush on him?” You raise your brows, elbowing him with your hands remaining in your pockets, cold air waiting for the opportunity to bite at your skin. 
Jimin scoffs in defense, pretending you offended him as he shoves you away. “We were told to market it as him because he’s so realistic most people apparently won’t know the difference.” 
“…And you want me to buy that thing!?! An android that is so human you can’t even tell?!” You ask, feet stopping in their tracks. “Jimin, you’re out of your mind.” You roll your eyes, beginning to turn around, and instead, make your way to your apartment complex. 
“Nooo, at least walk me to the store like always. This isn’t fair!” Jimin complains like a child, stomping his feet softly in the thin layer of snow that’s beginning to form on the sidewalk. “I just wanted to tell you because I think it’s interesting, I promise I won’t market him to you.” 
“You’re a liar.” You turn back, unable to fight back the smile as you walk up to him. “Fine, let’s get going before it starts snowing harder. I’d hate for you to be covered in it and you ruin all your bots with the liquid.” Sticking out your tongue, Jimin mimics you as he does it back. 
“It wouldn’t ruin them, c'mon Y/n. They’re waterproof.” 
“Jimin.”
“Right, sorry sorry.”
Jimin stops talking about androids for the rest of the walk, instead beginning his daily oversharing session, as he vents about this mystery boy “Taehyung” he’s been seeing. Jimin claims he’s always on campus, everywhere, but you have yet to see him. Secretly, you’re starting to believe Jimin is making parts of him up. He wraps up the rant as you approach the door, “Anyways, he seems genuinely sweet. I think I’ll give it a chance.”
“Yeah, I also think he seems nice. Maybe it’ll be worth it.” You shrug, beginning to pull your arm away from Jimin’s where they’re interlinked. 
“Just like…you should give our androids a chance.” You're dragged into the store before you can even get another word in, Jimin locking down extra hard on your arm in case you fight it. As the doors close behind the both of you, you finally give in. “That big box over there, that’s our new one-of-a-kind boy.” Jimin beams, walking you over to it. There’s only the logo of cyber life on the front, no model codes, details, or specifications anywhere to be seen. 
“So, what’s he look like?” You ask, finally able to pry your arm away from Jimin’s chokehold. 
“I don’t know.” 
“What do you mean you don’t know??” 
“Exactly what I mean, I don’t know.” Jimin spits jokingly, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “CyberLife is keeping all the details under wraps, I suppose whoever gets him is the first to find out. Personally, I think it’s to see if people recognize it as an android if the owner takes him out into public.” The information feels like whiplash, as does the mixing of it, him, and owner. 
“That is the freakiest thing I’ve ever heard.” You laugh. “So, how much is he going for?” You shrug as Jimin smirks at you, eventually punching his arm. 
“What, you want him?” He earns himself another punch. “He’s not.” 
“Jimin, what the fuck? Is this an empty box???” You're now beginning to think Jimin is fucking with you. Maybe a prank to see how gullible you are to the information he tells you, never really questioning his nerdy rants. “No characteristics, no price, let me guess, no name next huh?” 
“Ding ding ding.” Jimin chuckles. “The model doesn’t have a name. He introduces himself to his owner one-on-one.” 
“I’m leaving.” 
“Wait wait wait, don’t you want to know how you can get him if he’s not for sale?” He coaxes you back to the box laughing the entire time as he speaks. Once again grabbing you so you don’t have a chance to run away, you’re left trapped. If the androids surrounding you in the store are already this realistic, you’re a bit afraid to see what’s in the box honestly. “Aren’t you at least a bit curious, an android not up for sale hm?” 
“With the information you just gave me, it’s an empty box up for sale,” You complain, ready to go home and cozy up on the couch with this weather. It’s cold, wet, and you’re already slipping into your winter break laziness. 
“It's a raffle.” 
“Oh great.” 
“I’ll enter you into it.” Jimin beams, running over to a computer behind the cashier counter. You groan loudly, beginning to follow him to stop his antics. “Uhm ma’am, employees only beyond this point.” Jimin changes his tone to his customer service voice, holding a hand in front of your face. “I’ll be with you in one moment.” 
“Jimin, this isn’t funny. I’m going to kick your ass,” You complain, glancing over your shoulder to the large box behind you as if he’d pop out at any moment. “I don’t even want the opportunity to own him, people would probably kill others over him.”
“One moment, please ma’am,” He speaks, breaking up into laughter throughout his sentence. You’re helpless as you stand at the counter, watching in disbelief as he types in all of your information faster than the speed of light.
“I wish we never sat next to each other in Introduction to Computer Science.” You laugh, watching him click submit before making his way back to where you stand by the box. 
“Raffle results come out tomorrow. That’s why I had to drag you here.” Jimin beams, “If you don’t want him, you can always give him to me.” 
Faking a gag, you begin your way out of the store. “I'm going home, Jimin. I'm gonna be spending my winter break alone, android-less, binge-watching movies, so feel free to stop by.” You smile, waving to him from the door. Jimin inserts some snarky remark that you don’t really catch, rolling your eyes at him through the window regardless. 
Doing exactly as you promised yourself, you all but melt into the soft bed you’ve been in a long-distance relationship with the entire semester. Now, you’re able to catch up with spring classes being an entire month away. You spend the rest of your afternoon double-checking that all of your assignments are in before allowing yourself to sleep. The next day, you begin your marathons, finally catching up on all the shows you said you’d watch. With a content sigh, you begin your second binge-watching marathon of the break. It’s cut short just one episode in, a small knock catching your attention. Following it, it’s your front door. 
“Hi, Jimin, do you wanna-“ It’s not Jimin standing on the other side of the door, not at all. There are two tall men, with a big box placed in the middle of either one of them. “Oh, sorry. I was expecting someone else. How can I help you guys?” 
“Is this the residence of Y/n L/n?” One asks, making your throat run dry as you glance at the box behind them. “If you could just sign off on your delivery, free of charge provided by the company.” Glancing down at the paper presented, CyberLife. Shaky hands sign a sloppy signature, the movers quickly move in and place the box in the middle of the walkway before rushing off. Closing the door behind you, you’re at a loss. 
Wouldn’t they call you if you won? Or an email? Or mail? Who in their right mind just comes and delivers such an expensive and precious item without some sort of confirmation beforehand??? Your normally cozy and comfortable apartment suddenly feels too small with the box in it, another human-like thing occupying the space. 
“Jimin?!” This has to be a prank, Jimin has to be laughing his ass off in this stupid box. With caution, you press an ear against the metal and try to hear laughing, snorting, breathing, anything. The box is white and blue, only confirming the high possibility of an android being inside. “Jimin, if you're in this box, I’m going to kill you for real this time.” You give a fair warning, pressing and pulling hard on the side handle. It opens smoothly, the door not even creaking once as you pull it open. 
You jump hard as you peek into it, not Jimin. Definitely not Jimin. Hiding behind the door, you peek once more into the inside to take in the sight. He’s…pretty? Somehow his android skin is activated without even being turned on yet, hair styled with his bangs pushed back from his forehead. His nose is slightly large, but it fits his face perfectly. There’s a small mole underneath his lower lip that you think is an interesting addition to an android model. 
With a hard beating heart that feels as though it’ll burst through your rib cage, you abandon your protection. There’s an owner's manual placed neatly in front of his body that you pick up with shaky hands. Activate your android by pressing on its led sensor for 10 seconds. It’s the longest 10 seconds of your life, heart hammering against your bones.
His eyes slowly peel open, blinking a couple of times as he takes in his surroundings. Human, scarily human. He’s careful of your reaction as he steps out of his box to not scare you too badly, pushing the door closed behind him to create more room in the small apartment. “Hello, I’m Jungkook.” 
There it is. 
You don’t answer, prompting him to continue introducing himself. “I’m a one-of-a-kind android that was beneficial for promotional purposes, but mainly I'm built to be the best companion possible for my owner. I possess old and new features that are designed to make the everyday life of my companion significantly better.” 
“Jungkook?” You mumble, his name feels way too human. “What’s your full name?” 
“Jeon Jungkook, from Busan, South Korea.” You could throw up everywhere, the realistic bot smiling softly as he stands in front of you. 
“Yeah, yeah sorry. I’m Y/n. …you are an android, right? Do you mind if I, uh?” You gesture to his chest. Your brain is struggling to believe he’s an android and not some sort of joke sent to you. Jungkook happily obliges, removing his synthetic skin and popping open his chest panel. Stepping a bit closer, you can definitely confirm that they are CyberLife organs and blue blood. “Okay, sorry I’m just having trouble adjusting, that’s all,” You mumble, closing his panel for him. 
“There is usually an adjustment period for new owners. Have you had another android in the past?” Jungkook asks, glancing around your apartment for any sign of one. He takes a couple of steps away from the box, feet making no noise despite being a giant piece of what is essentially machinery. Freaky.
“Oh, no no. It’s not that I’ve been against it, I just haven’t had the money or need for one I suppose.” You explain, feeling like you owe him an explanation as to why you don’t have an earlier model. “I’m a grad student, you see?” 
Jungkook nods softly, gesturing to the couch for you to sit down. You follow, a bit confused as to what this could possibly be about. It feels as though he’s about to break up with you, making you laugh softly to yourself as you sit on the opposite side of the couch. “I’m not sure what needs you have, but just let me know and I will do my best to fulfill them. This can range from construction, gardening, cooking, cleaning, companionship, intimacy, etc.” 
“Intimacy, what does that even mean in terms of an android?” 
“Some androids are designed to carry out human wants and desires for sexual intercourse-”
“Okay, okay, sorry I asked.” You cut Jungkook off before he can give you the long, likely in-depth explanation of their usage. “So, what do you want to do around here? I mean it’s just me, so it’ll probably get pretty lonely unless you come to my classes with me.” You chuckle. “I mean, it’s not very big but it’s comfortable, feel free to help yourself to whatever you’d like.” 
“I want to do what you want me to do, Y/n,” Jungkook answers, speaking like a true CyberLife android, a computer.
“God, it’s so weird.” You complain. “You look so human but act like you’re an android, so it’s just throwing me off.” You smile softly, watching as he smiles back. His smile is pretty, perfectly aligned teeth on full display. When he smiles hard, small wrinkles form in the corners of his eyes which you find oddly endearing. “Your LED also is barely noticeable, just all of it together tricks my mind into thinking you’re a human.” 
“That’s how I was engineered, with that in mind.” He smiles, “I don’t think I’ll be mass-marketed due to how human my design is, it would likely cause unrest within society.” You nod along to that, it most definitely would only make the anti-android movement worse. “If you’d like, I can adjust my LED to be more of the stereotypical android look.”
“No, no that’s okay. I like you however you present yourself. But, can you change your hairstyle? It’s just a bit too CyberLife, fresh out of the package if you want to go out in public later on.” You shrug, once again feeling the need to explain to him. He does, switching through various hairstyles before deciding on one. It’s slightly longer, with soft waves making it look fluffier than before. It’s still just as dark, but it suits him. 
“I can also simulate body modifications such as piercings, tattoos, scarification, split tongue, stretched lobes, whatever you would wish for me to look like,” Jungkook informs, once again sounding fresh out of the box. 
“You do whichever ones you’d like, Jungkook. It’s your body, fake or not.” You smile, watching as he shuffles through the catalog of options in his head. A giant smile overtakes his face as he comes out with two face piercings, a couple of ear ones, and most notably his tattoo sleeve. 
“Uhm, is this okay? I can always change my setting back if you prefer it-”
“It’s okay, Jungkook. We gotta get you out of your default settings, jeez.” You laugh. “I’m not really sure what to do now, I was watching a TV show if you’d like to watch it with me?”
“I’d love to.” He beams, watching as you jog into your room. (You forgot the name of it already, mind racing 1000 miles a minute with everything going on.) You come back out with blankets to hide it, handing him one as you set up the living room TV. “I’d also love to make you dinner while we watch, would that be okay?”
“Kook, YES. I don’t mind what you do unless it’s like actively punching holes in my drywall. Then maybe I’ll draw the line.” You joke, finally earning a laugh from him. It’s contagious, spreading over to you as you giggle along. You don’t think you’ve completely wrapped your brain around the fact that he’s one of a kind, purposely engineered to basically do anything and everything, and so annoyingly pretty as he sits in your small apartment content as ever. “Also, I’m not sure if you notice, but your footsteps make almost no noise. It’s okay to make sounds. I think if you walk around here completely silent you'll probably scare the shit out of me.”
“Noted.” Jungkook chuckles, sliding off of the couch and making his way into the kitchen. He makes more noise this time, and it’s much more comfortable that way. The soft knocking of pots and pans fills the background, not enough to be annoying but enough to let you know there is someone else here. Maybe, and you’d never ever admit it to Jimin, his addition to your home is starting to feel like it will be a welcomed one.
Getting used to having another person, an android, in the house is a learning experience. The following morning after he was delivered, you had completely forgotten all about him in your half-awake state. After using the bathroom, your feet shuffle out into the kitchen in search of any sustenance before you start the day, Jimin already texting you to ensure you guys are still on for your morning coffee run and walk to the CyberLife store.
“Good morning, I made you-”
You’ve never screamed so loud, so early in the morning. You’re sure you woke up all of your neighbors in a 5-door radius, along with the incoming noise complaint that is surely on its way. You screamed so loud that Jungkook has to recalibrate his audio processing system, standing still for multiple minutes as it reboots. 
“Sorry, sorry Kook.” You cackle after the initial fright, hands holding your stomach as you almost cry from laughter. “Adjustment period, remember when you said that?” You laugh harder, making your way over to him.  Jungkook laughs softly along with you, not nearly as hard but he feels happy seeing you so happy. He grins hard as you wipe away your tears, your stomach hurting from just how hard you're laughing. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. I have to stop.” With another glance at Jungkook in the kitchen, you’re cracking up again. 
“Y/n! I thought I’d be nice and make you breakfast!” Jungkook whines as you continue laughing at him, unable to hold it back for longer than one-minute intervals. You slowly calm down over the course of the next 10 minutes, forcing yourself to not think about it. “Anyway, I made you a breakfast sandwich. I’m not sure if you have anything to do today but-” Jungkook stops talking as he notices your chest heaving, trying hard not to laugh. “Are you-are you serious?? You can't even look at me huh?” Jungkook cracks, smiling hard. 
At this point, there are tears rolling down your face. “Sorry, sorry. Okay, I’m done for real this time. Just had to get it out of my system.”
“Uh-huh, sure.” Jungkook jokes, putting the plate in front of you regardless of you continuing to giggle every now and then. 
“I’m not sure what you’d like to do today, but I’m gonna go out with a friend for a bit. There’s not much to do here, I’m normally used to being out all the time, but there’s Netflix, Hulu, Disney, whatever you’d like to watch.” You talk in between bites, rushing as you inhale the food. You get ready quickly, awkwardly side-hug Jungkook as a goodbye, and rush off to meet up with Jimin.
Jimin is as ecstatic as ever, going on and on about who he thinks got the android in yesterday’s raffle. He gets his hopes up a bit before going to the store, coming up with the idea that maybe no one won and he’ll be unboxed today. Nerves flood throughout your body, your mind thinking back to the sweet boy that made you breakfast this morning. “Anyway, what’re you up to today?” Jimin sighs after his excitement, strolling along the sidewalk with his drink in hand. 
“Probably a bit of holiday shopping, and hanging out with a friend-”
“A friend?! Who? Do I know them?” He interrupts you, immediately questioning. 
“No, no I don’t think you do. He’s a family friend of my mom’s side-”
“HE?”
“I hate talking to you.” You laugh, no longer feeling the need to continue talking about it. You ignore Jimin’s prying questions, favoring dismissing all of them. What’s he look like? Where’s he from? Is he cute? What’s his name? Is he nice? Jimin brings up anything and everything. “Okay, we’re here, oh noooo.” You chuckle, pretending to be disappointed. 
“I’ll find out eventually.” Jimin sticks his tongue out at you before entering the store. He’s beyond disappointed that the box is no longer sitting in the store, texting you about it as you walk home.
Coming home, you’re a bit more prepared as you enter your apartment, spotting Jungkook in the living room. The upcoming week is your adjustment period, slowly becoming less and less spooked by his presence in your cozy home. Jungkook has learned to turn down his hearing slightly in the mornings until you get used to him, no longer having to re-coordinate his processing system constantly. You’ve also warmed up a lot to him over the week, the sweet android quickly becoming a part of your everyday life and holding a fond place in your heart. You’ve made movie nights become a ritual, cuddling up to Jungkook on colder nights. (He’s aware and even adjusts his systems to make himself put out more heat for you.) 
Jungkook is also the best listener you know, listening and taking in all of the stories you’re willing to tell him. He knows a lot about Jimin, as you seem to hang out with him the most. He had dumbly asked if he was your boyfriend, sending you into another laughing fit you were unable to stop. Along with this, he’s started accompanying you out more. Jungkook comes on grocery runs with you, goes to the library with you, goes to the nearby cafe you frequent, and even begins joining you on nights out at clubs. It’s scary how no one realizes he’s an android and doesn’t even bat an eye at him even in android-free spaces.
Most nights out, Jungkook has to fight you into bed in your tipsy state. You appreciate him for it, and all of the patience he shows you. “Y/n, let me take off your makeup.” Jungkook giggles softly, sitting on the edge of the bed as he holds a makeup wipe in his hand. He’s carefully holding your ankle in his palm, keeping you from sliding head first off the bed if you move too much. As you shuffle around to better lay on the bed, he no longer needs to restrain you. Currently, you have the spins, holding onto Jungkook’s clothes in a death grip to ground yourself. Jungkook smiles softly at you. “It’ll just take two seconds, come here.” 
You finally oblige, shuffling around to place your head in his lap. “Do your worst, pretty boy.” You slur slightly, smiling up at him. 
“Pretty boy?” Kook raises a brow at you.
“Mhmm, my pretty boy.” You nod, wearing a soft smile as Jungkook wipes your makeup off. “You wanna sleep with me?”
“Sorry?” Jungkook almost chokes on his fake spit. 
“You’re warm, come, lay down.” You coax him, pulling him down. You’re not laying on the bed the right way at all, heads laying at the foot of the bed. You’re also slightly diagonal, not caring at all as you cuddle close to him for warmth. Jungkook smiles hard as you nuzzle into his chest, one of your legs swinging over his. “Warm, soft.” You hum. You get the best sleep of your entire life, and it now becomes a normal thing for Jungkook to lay with you. 
You learn a lot about him during this time as well. One, Jungkook can taste and eat as his program allows him to. He doesn’t need to at all, but once again he was built for companionship and he can’t think of anything sadder than people eating meals alone. You had learned this when Jungkook offered to eat with you, confusing you to hell and back before actually explaining. Now, you always make him get something when you guys go out in public, to really sell the whole he’s just a human drinking his overpriced cafe drink!! Considering other androids don't eat or drink anything other than blue blood, it really adds to his non-android appearance.
Two, he’s been programmed to be good at absolutely everything. 
Personal fitness: Jungkook is more than happy to accompany you on jogs, encouraging you but also giving you the peace of mind you need when running through rough parts of town. Along with this, he somehow is able to calculate your strides and distance, which you believe blindly and don’t even question. Lastly, he’s able to carry water and electrolyte snacks that he claims are good for you when you’re physically active. When you refuse to drink, Jungkook jokingly wrestles you into submission until you take at least one sip.  
Cooking: Jungkook has taken to making all of your meals, and you’re not even upset about it. Every meal is different but just as delicious, you assume he has some sort of chef programming. When you don’t have an item Jungkook needs, he’s more than willing to go out and get it for you. You’re a bit too anxious to send him on his own, but in reality, he’d probably be okay given his appearance. Despite taking over cooking needs, if you’re lucky he sometimes lets you help out with baking holiday cookies. Jungkook still takes to distracting you, twirling you around with a giant smile to the music playing in the background. 
“Kook,” You whine, a giant smile plastered on your face despite complaints. You can feel Jungkook smile as he tucks his face into your neck, one hand holding your waist and the other taking your palm into his own. “The cookies will burn.”
“They still have 3 minutes, don’t worry hun.” Jungkook smiles hard, pulling back to look at you. You match the cheek-aching smile, forced to twirl as Kook easily spins you. Getting carried away, the cookies did slightly burn in the oven. 
Makeup (yes, even makeup): Jungkook had offered to help you get ready for a research-related conference, let’s just say you got a lot of compliments that night.  
Cleaning: You tell him constantly he doesn’t have to spend his days cleaning, but he listens very minimally and still picks up for you every day.  Sometimes he tries to hide it from you, placing a very strategic piece of laundry on your floor to give the illusion that he didn’t clean. (It never works how he intends, once there was a random towel in the hallway while every other room was completely spotless. He was embarrassed about it the whole day.)
Security: He’s not a fighter under any circumstances at all, you can’t even imagine Jungkook getting into an altercation. You suppose he could if he needed, it’s likely somewhere deep in his programming. However, it’s the peace of mind he brings to you every night, you no longer deal with the worry of if your door is locked 1000 times. 
Helping with your Grad assignments: Kook is a very advanced computer, how can you not?
And just simple companionship on days you’re worn down and tired. On days when you're very stressed out, he happily does your skincare to help you relax along with a small massage he knows from, who knows, somewhere deep in his computer brain. 
“Kook, can you really take your time today, I need the relaxation.” You chuckle, grabbing all of your products and walking out of the bathroom. Jungkook follows, confusion growing even more as he watches you lay down on the floor with a pillow. 
“....What are you doing?” Jungkook chuckles, standing over you a bit as he peers down. 
“Come, sit, sit.” Without any more questioning, Jungkook sits with his legs slightly separated. You move to lay in between them, pillow on his lap. Ohhh, he sees now. Jungkook pulls out all of the stops he can with the tools provided, doing your skincare and giving you a massage. “Holy shit, you’re good at this.”
You suppose the only thing you’re unsure of with his skills is his intimacy feature, as you haven't had any reason or want to test it. You’ve been curious about the extent of the features, Jungkook is more than happy to once again explain all of his programming to you. Artificial saliva, physically soft skin, artificial bodily fluids, flexibility, shapes created with pleasure in mind, etc. The list goes on and on. He was also more than happy to offer his services to you, bright-eyed and excited about your reaction. You postpone the offer, maybe another time. At this, Jungkook begins his lecture about how it’s detrimental to one’s health to be sexually frustrated for too long that you put an end to, as quickly as possible. 
You haven't introduced Jungkook to Jimin quite yet, a bit scared Jimin would immediately clock your android counterpart as exactly that, an android. You have to explain this to Jungkook, who wants to meet Jimin more than anyone else since you seem to be such great friends. He understands the dilemma but still wants to meet regardless. 
Maybe four weeks into the break, there’s a knock on the door that catches Jungkook’s attention more than yours. You’re busy getting tangled in the Christmas tree lights that are impossibly knotted, Jungkook trying to help out as much as he can. He’s hesitant after accidentally pulling one of the cords and almost swiping your feet out from underneath you. “Can you go get that please, Kook?” You mumble, lights somehow wrapped around your waist, legs, and neck. Jungkook scurries to do as he’s told, not wanting to take over lights for you. 
You can hear the door creak open, followed by a period of silence. “Who are you??” Your hands stop moving, eyes blown wide as you glance over to the door. Shit shit shit. 
“Hey Jimin! Come in!” You call from the living room, still hard at work at making the lights cooperate with you. You pray to god he doesn’t see you sweat. “I told you about him, remember? He’s in town for a while on an internship. Jimin, this is Jungkook, a family friend. Jungkook, this is Jimin.” You introduce the two of them. Jimin turns around to face Jungkook, Jungkook quickly catches your eye contact. You mouth to him to turn his LED off completely, which he follows.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Jungkook smiles wide, garland hanging down from his arms as he shakes Jimin’s hand. Jimin shakes his hand back, turning back to you. 
“Y/n! You didn’t tell me said friend was so hot!” Finally, the atmosphere breaks as all of you laugh along with each other. The entire interaction is based solely on the assumption you have that no one has seen Jungkook’s design, including Jimin. He doesn’t seem to clock Jungkook immediately, joining in on your and Kook’s journey of setting up the decorations. Jimin gets ornaments in order, Kook garland, and you get lights. Next, you all take turns walking around the tree stringing everything up. The star is the scariest part, Jungkook insists on just lifting you to place it atop the tree. 
Jimin laughs his ass off the entire time, watching as Jungkook wraps his arms around your thighs and easily lifts. “Jungkook, my ass is in your face.” You laugh, wobbling slightly as you cackle. Jimin also laughs hard at this. 
“I’m not looking, promise.” This only makes the group of you laugh harder. Jimin looks at Jungkook to check the accuracy, falling to his knees as he sees Jungkook’s head at a 90-degree angle looking sideways. “Put the star on!” Jungkook calls, laughing softly. Thankfully, you come down unscathed and unharmed. You all settle in, putting on holiday movies to watch. 
“Do you guys want hot chocolate?” You ask, already getting up and making your way into the kitchen to start making them.
“I’ll help.” You send Jungkook a hard glare, seating him back down. “Ugh, fine. You never make mine right though.” He complains, sitting back down and grabbing his blanket once more. You can see him and Jimin talking, but you’re unable to hear it over the movie. Walking back in slowly, you cautiously carry three mugs. 
“Here, you big baby. Hot chocolate with extra chocolate and whipped cream.” You hand Jungkook his and then Jimin's. “And regular for you like an adult.” You watch as Jungkook sticks his tongue out at you, making you laugh as you sit down. 
“Extra chocolate? Kook, do you mind if I taste yours?” Jimin asks, scooching forward to reach over you. Jungkook mumbles something about wanting his whipped cream, quickly licking the majority of it off the top before handing it over. Jimin glances down at the cup before taking a sip, nodding his head. “Y/n, can you make mine like that next time?”
“Wow.” You laugh, rolling your eyes as you return your attention back to the movie. The night continues without much more commotion, the group of you watching movies and taking turns making cocktails. Jungkook purposely dumbs his down to hide himself, relief washing over you as you’re handed a simple mixed drink. (Jungkook can and will make the most elaborate, bartender-level drinks you’ve ever seen.) Maybe he’s not as clueless as he pretends to be. 
“I think I should get going, gotta get up early in the morning.” Jimin yawns, standing up and stretching. “I won’t make you come get coffee with me since I have to be at work at 6 am.”
At this, you recoil. “So generous, Jimin. I definitely would not make it there at 5:30.” You laugh, getting up off the couch to walk him out. “Do you want us to walk with you, it’s a bit late Jim.”
“...Tae is picking me up.” You gasp as Jimin opens the door. Jimin slaps a hand over your mouth. “And NO! You can’t meet him tonight, I have to at least give him a warning in advance.”
“I hate you.” You sigh, jokingly shoving him out of the door frame. “I’ll see you soon, loser. Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe and so I know this weird, unknown, creepy Taehyung that I’ve never met didn’t kidnap you or something.” Waving goodbye to Jimin, you can finally breathe as you shut the door. “He’s skeptical of you.” You huff. 
“I know.” Jungkook mumbles, “I think the hot chocolate and drinks convinced him, though. He stopped being skeptical after that. Now, he’s skeptical and thinks we’re dating.”
You don’t know how Jungkook can tell, but you believe him. With a long sigh, you return to the couch, plopping down back onto the blankets. “He’s too skeptical about everything.” You laugh. Kook follows you into the living room, laying down on top of you. “He wouldn’t care that you’re an android, Kook.” You reassure him, “I just don’t want that to be your description and introduction to people we meet.” Jungkook nods in agreement. 
After the small bout with Jimin, Jungkook settles in very well over the course of December.
He makes breakfast, wishes you a safe trip before your departure if you’re doing somewhere without him, sometimes earns himself a peck on the cheek that makes him blush bright red, picks up around the apartment or organizes, and then just hangs around until you get home. He genuinely believes you getting home is the best part of his day, can’t even imagine a better person to wait around for. Sometimes you guys will go out for the evening if you’re not tired, other nights you both stay in and watch tv or movies cuddled close together. 
For once, you’re not spending the holidays alone. Over the last couple of years, you had always gone over to Jimin’s apartment for company if he was still in town. Other times, you just spent the holiday watching movies. “Merry Christmas Eve, Kook.” You hum, sitting close to him with your head resting on his shoulder. Your knees are folded underneath you, facing Jungkook’s lap but not on him. Jungkook rests his head on yours, a blanket tossed over both of your laps. You’ve already made cookies and Jungkook started cooking ahead for tomorrow’s Christmas dinner. Jungkook has been scolding you constantly for making him do dumb childish Christmas activities, cookies for Santa, carrots for reindeer, etc. You think it’s cute.
“Merry Christmas Eve, pretty girl.” Jungkook hums back, reaching over to hold your hands. He’s taken to calling you pet names, making you blush furiously every time. 
“Do you want an early Christmas present?” You smile hard at him, glancing up at him. 
“Is that even a question?” Jungkook giggles, watching as you jump off the couch and immediately sprint into the bedroom. He can hear loud rummaging, and he’s about 99% sure you’re in the closet. You come out with a medium-sized gift bag, presenting it to him. Placing it in his lap, you watch with a giant smile as he opens it. Somehow, he reaches underneath his set and instead pulls out your matching pajamas. “Y/n, I don't think these will fit me.” He chuckles. 
“How do you go underneath the top thing?” You scoff, snatching them out of his hands and quickly hiding them behind your back. Kook chuckles softly as he finally pulls out his set, a giant smile plastered on his face as he examines it. “And, I also have one. So we can match.” With loud laughter, you and Jungkook begin sprinting to the hall. You duck into your room, and Jungkook disappears into the bathroom. 
Your heart feels heavy with emotion as Jungkook steps out of the bathroom on the other side of the hall, you stand in the doorway of your room. “Y/n, thank you.” Jungkook mumbles, voice wavering a bit as he reaches out and takes your hand in his. You could cry as he pulls you into his arms, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. “Thank you for everything.” 
“C'mon now, don’t get all sentimental Jeon.” If you get any more sentimental, you’ll cry. “You’re not going anywhere for a while.”
“I wouldn’t even think of it.” He smiles, leading you back to your Christmas movie marathon in the living room. Watching movies for the rest of the night, Christmas comes before you even realize it. 
“Merry Christmas,” Jungkook speaks softly, once again kissing your forehead. 
“Merry Christmas, my sweet boy.” You kiss his cheek in return, fighting the blush away. 
Christmas is exactly what you’ve dreamed of, eating together, watching movies, opening gifts, setting up and playing with said gifts, and spending plenty of time cuddled up together. For Jungkook’s gifts, you got him a game system and a phone to keep him busy once the spring semester starts in a couple of weeks. Jungkook’s quick to input your number, demanding it as soon as it comes out of the box. 
“Are you ready for your presents?” Jungkook smiles. 
“Am I huh?” You question, raising a brow. You weren't expecting anything since Jungkook is an android, and therefore is unable to work unless it’s programmed into him. Along with this, he hasn’t asked you for any money within the last couple of weeks. “How, Kook?” You mumble as he comes out of your apartment's small storage closet with gifts, a bright smile on his face. 
“I maybe, maybe not, went out and did college kid’s homework and assignments for cash.” Jungkook cheekily smiles, avoiding the look you give him. He’s lucky he’s so sweet and kind, otherwise, you’d scold him to hell and back for it. At least he was able to get around without being clocked as an android, you choose to look on the bright side. He sets the prettily wrapped box in your lap, yet another thing he’s good at. It’s a new bookbag and a recipe book, Jungkook’s pretty handwriting, and little doodles filling the pages. There’s a card in the bag, you already know it’s going to be sentimental and doubt you’ll be unable to read it without crying.
As you suspected, you’re in tears by the end of the card. You sniffle hard as you press it against your face, hiding your tears from Jungkook. “Nooo, don’t cry. That wasn’t my intention.” Jungkook coos at you, wrapping you in his arms with ease. “Your bookbag seemed to have a lot of miles on it, I figured I’d get you a new one for the upcoming semester. The recipe book is in case you ever want to cook for me, since you always complain about never being able to make me dinner.” Jungkook explains. “And the note is just my gratitude, I suppose.”
“I told you no more sentimental stuff.” You chuckle, wiping your tears off your face as you turn to properly hug him. “Sorry I didn’t write you a card, I didn’t even think of it.” You mumble. 
“I don’t need a card, trust me,” Jungkook speaks softly, kissing your cheek where a tear stain still remains. “Do you wanna get back to our movie?” With a nod, Jungkook is quick to put it back on and pull you close to him, allowing you to lay on his chest. The movie begins to wrap up, your mouth opens before you can rethink it. 
“Kook?”
“Hm?”
“Do you wish you were human? Or do you wish you were given to a different owner?” You ask curiosity just genuinely wanting to know his answer.
“I’m not sure, really. I suppose being a human has a lot of rules for socializing, existing, and everything else. I know I’m not a human, but it does feel like I am so I suppose that’s close enough for me to be content.” Jungkook explains, shrugging softly as he holds you to him. “And I don’t wish I was given to another human, I really like it here. I think if I were with anyone else, they’d likely treat me like an android and expect me to, idk, act like one. That seems like a stupid question, given my completely sincere and heartfelt letter.”
You giggle, nodding to agree with him. “Yeah, probably. It’s easy to expect you to act like a perfect android when that’s how you were marketed, after all.” You giggle, sitting up to peer down at him. Your hands rest on his chest to support some of your weight. Jungkook is very pretty, even prettier peering up at you with eyebrows slightly scrunched together. “I still just can't believe you’re an android, Kook. Sometimes I don’t think about it and just see you as a person. Can I ask you something?”
“Anything, always.” Jungkook grits as he stares up at you. 
“You’ve been using I think and I feel, Jungkook.” Jungkook tenses hard underneath you, fear momentarily flashing across his face. “CyberLife programming doesn’t do that. Were you built with a missing code, or did you break your coding when you got here?” You ask softly, hands meeting his face and gently holding it in your palms. Jungkook seems scared, fighting for an appropriate answer to your question. “I like it, Kook. I was hoping this would happen, but I wasn’t going to try and recode or reprogram you myself. I just want to know. Your note was also a dead giveaway, Jeon.”
“...I broke out of it partly when I got here and you started asking me to just be myself and not be my program.” Jungkook answers truthfully, “And then I broke out of it completely when it wouldn’t let me feel love for you, platonically or romantically. I didn’t like it, so I got out.”
You smile hard at him, rubbing the stress out of his face softly with your thumbs. Leaning forward, you place a soft kiss on his forehead. “I love you too, Jeon.” 
Jungkook’s hands meet your knees on the couch, holding onto them as you sit on his lap. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable Y/n,” Jungkook almost whines underneath you, squeezing your knees. “But my programming, it’s uhm, on, right now. I can’t really control it just yet, it's created to react to your actions and body. And you’re, uhm moving a lot right now. Just give me a minute to-”
“...What if I want to, maybe, utilize these features?” 
“Oh fuck,” Jungkook whines, hands coming up to cover his face momentarily. His head pushes itself back into the throw pillow he was resting on. You smile as his hair spreads out around his face as he does so. 
“Only if that’s what you want too, Kook.” You mumble, shuffling slightly to better distribute your weight on his lap. Jungkook genuinely whines, his hips bucking slightly against your own as he searches for friction. You rise to your knees slightly at this, Jungkook quickly moving his palms to seat you back down. His warm hands splay across your thighs and finger tips digging at your hips, holding you down. Excitement bubbles deep in your chest, knees squeezing Jungkook’s waist a bit tighter. “Kook, I can feel you.” You whine as his hands press your hips into his, the pajamas much thinner than you realized before. “I need words, Jungkook, for confirmation.”
“Y/n, I’ve been offered my services for weeks. I have been out of my program for weeks as well,” Jungkook grins, hands sliding, moving your hips to grind down onto him. “There is nothing I want more.” He answers honestly, sitting up to meet you. “Please, let me make you feel good.” Jungkook meets your lips, extremely soft as he kisses you. He waits for you to respond, too scared of making you uncomfortable by moving too quickly. Kissing him back, Jungkook is quick to pull you close, chest pressed flush against one another. 
His eyes quickly meet yours as you pull him back softly by his hair, searching your face for any discomfort as quickly as his computer brain can process human emotion. You don’t give him much, your eyes scanning across his features as you take them in. “I just wanna see my pretty boy, that’s all.” You reassure, pecking his lips a couple of times as you guide him to lay back down on his back. He happily lets you do as you please, god he’d let you do anything. His eyebrows knit together as your cold hands slip underneath the pajama top, easily slipping it up and off. Jungkook is quick to follow, tossing your top off before quickly pulling you down to him, warm skin pressed together. “So warm, Kook.” You mumble against his lips, your hands finding purchase on his biceps. 
“So soft, you’re so soft.” Jungkook groans against your lips, hands kneading your skin underneath them as he explores every inch of exposed skin. He rubs goosebumps away every now and then, holding you even closer. “Let me make you feel good, pretty girl. Lay back for me." Jungkook's voice is husky, lips never fully leaving yours as he talks to you. You follow his instructions, moving to lay on your back as he quickly follows. You’re completely flipped now, Jungkook in between your legs as he leans over you. 
His palms never leave you longer than it takes to remove clothing, lips working their way along your jaw. “So perfect for me, just for me. Always wanna be with you, Y/n.” Jungkook almost babbles into your skin, leaving dark marks in his wake. Sooner than you can comprehend, you’re completely bare before him.
“Kook, this feels unfair,” You complain, reaching to pull at his pajama pants. 
Jungkook basically rolls his eyes at you, pulling at his pants and kicking them off behind him, not paying much attention and basically clearing the coffee table. “Would you just focus?” He smiles, having to bite back a soft laugh. 
“You just swiped everything off the coffee table.” You comment dryly, also having to bite back a laugh at the situation. “You know, you’re literally a house robot, you’ll be cleaning it up-fuck,” Jungkook isn’t listening anymore, sliding down to his torso and nipping at your thighs.
“You were saying?” He humors you, diving in before giving you a real chance to answer his question. It’s impossible to talk, mewls and whines slipping through every time you try to come up with some witty, snarky response. Jungkook, smug, knows that. He’s unrelenting, face buried in between your legs with no signs of moving. 
“Kook, how are you, fuck, so good at this?” You whine, hands reaching down to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer to you. Jungkook, at the pull, groans, animalistic as he gives you exactly what you want. “Kook,” You mumble, hips lifting off of the couch to grind against him. 
“Yes, there you go, pretty girl.” Jungkook groans against your skin. You push and pull, moving him exactly how you need, how you want. Jungkook, ever eager to please, could get off on this alone. His hips unconsciously grind against the couch, needing some sort of relief, it’s almost torture. “Gotta get you ready, feel good, hm?” Jungkook asks softly, vibration shooting straight to the knot in your stomach. One that only tightens as his fingers move, easily sliding inside, kneading at exactly where you need him. 
“Is this a programming thing?” You whine, clenching tightly around his fingers from the pleasure. He knows exactly what you need, exactly how to give it to you. 
“It's wanting to please you.” He answers quickly, going right back to his work. He can feel you react as you grow closer, clenching tighter around him, grinding harder against his face, thighs closing in around his head. “Feel good, hm?” 
“Too good,” You whine, legs beginning to shake as you draw closer, body on fire. “You’re going to make me cum, gonna cum for you.” Your voice cracks, coming unraveled on his fingers. Jungkook relishes in it, committing every sound to memory, every shake, every twitch of your thighs around his head. He groans as he tastes you, tastes it, arms wrapping tighter around your hips to hold you in place. 
“Kook, need more, need you,” You whine loudly, hands reaching to his shoulders to pull him up. He follows, moaning softly when your legs wrap around his waist. 
“Need it, or want it?” He asks, kissing along your skin, “Take it pretty girl, take all you want.” Jungkook leads, softly pulling you up to straddle his hips. Kook pulls at his boxers, helping you maneuver around to get more comfortable. “Gonna let you lead, make yourself feel good.” It all feels like too much, body on fire as you grind against him, easily slipping along his cock. Your legs are just now recovering, shaky as you pick your body weight up, easily sliding down. 
“Kook, wait wait fuck,” You whine, hips pressing themselves down until he’s buried as deep as he can, stopping all your movement. “Feels good, really good.” Your skin is on fire, and you have no doubt that your cheeks and ears are bright red. Trying to find purchase anywhere, your hands grip his forearms where they hold your waist. He feels too good, your mind feeling fuzzy as your chest rises and falls as you try to calm down. Pretty, he looks so pretty underneath you as he peers up through half lidded eyes. A small wrinkle forms in between his brows as he focuses all his attention on your pleasure. 
“Pretty girl~” Jungkook almost coos to you, leaning up to press your foreheads against one another. “Let me take care of you, I’ll be so gentle I promise. Lemme make you feel good.” He reassures you, grinding against you to prove his point. Shapes with pleasure in mind weren't a lie, his cock perfectly angled to catch that soft spot inside everytime. Placing your hands onto his chest, you regain a tiny bit of stability as you slide along his cock. The little bit of composure you have is short lived, Jungkook’s beginning to slide out before slowly pushing back in, only stopping when your hips connect again. 
“So deep, Kook,” You can only whine, arms losing their strength as you slip down, only holding your hips up and resting on his chest. “Sorry, it feels too good,” You apologize as he does all the work, thrusting while also maneuvering your hips to target where it feels best. Everytime he bottoms out, he’s sure to grind against your clit, only adding to your overwhelmed state. You’ve barely even started, barely even moved, and you’re panting like a bitch in heat. A giant smirk comes across Jungkook's face, pride blooming in his chest as you whine and pant all for him. 
“Feels good, hm? You’re gonna be a good girl and let me hear you come for me?” He rasps against your ear, one of his hands moving to hold the back of your head. “So pretty, beautiful. All for me.” He encourages, making your face flush further as he forces you to stare into his eyes. It feels as though if you were pinched hard enough you’d wake up. “Come for me Y/n, all over my cock, wanna feel you.” It hits you out of nowhere, almost blind siding you as it washes over your entire body. Your thighs clamp down around Jungkook’s waist hard, trying to still the stimulation. He doesn’t allow such luxury, determined to thoroughly ride you through the orgasm, continuing his movement until you’re almost begging. 
“Kook?” Your voice is rough as you finally speak up, shaky hands meeting his chest as you push yourself up once again. 
“Hm?” He acknowledges you, hands running across your skin to smooth out any goosebumps that remain. You’re about 90% sure his touch is what’s sprouting them, but you don’t have the mindfulness right now to tell him that. 
“Why does it feel so good? S’like I can't even think with you inside me.” You whimper as you feel him throb, hips beginning to grind against him for some sort of stimulation. Jungkook beams underneath you as you instinctively fuck yourself onto him, so desperate for pleasure. Your brows knit together and bottom lip is quickly caught between your teeth as you grind your clit against him, cock nudging your g spot simultaneously. 
“Hmmm, I don't know. Scientifically there are multiple answers for that. But realistically, it’s likely my design and programming, and the fact you haven't been touched the entire time I’ve been here.” He chuckles at the last bit, reminiscing on all the lectures about sexual health and how too much frustration is a bad thing, “You’re extra sensitive, and I know just what to do, where to touch, how to make you tick, Y/n.” He teases as he slowly rubs the pad of his thumb into your swollen clit, the sensation making you cave in on yourself as you try to avoid it. “Cute.”
“Jungkook, m’serious!” You slur, rocking softly. 
“I know pretty girl, I know. I can tell.” Jungkook chides, clearly finding some sort of humor as he watches you shake and twitch because of his cock. “You feel good, hm? Help yourself pretty.” 
“I'll try,” You nod, your bottom lip finding its place between your teeth once more. Your feet lift a bit to hook around Jungkook’s inner thighs, giving you some sort of leverage to fuck yourself up and down. The very first movement is already pulling a whine from past your lips, so sensitive already. Jungkook's eyes are fixated where the two of you are connected, giant eyes watching his cock disappear and reappear. He feels himself throb as a ring of your cum begins to form, deep, deep pride and smugness brewing. 
“Taking me so good, riding me so well.'' Jungkook praises, feeling his cock jump once again as your thighs begin to tremble softly. “Feels good?” Jungkook coos, palms beginning to run over the muscle. 
“Really good,” You nod, biting back moans. Jungkook moans softly when you tighten around him, hands reaching up for your face. 
“Be my good girl, let me hear you. Gotta hear how good my cock makes you feel,” Jungkook moans softly as you tighten around his cock. His fingers gently slip into your mouth, running along your tongue to hold your mouth open, preventing you from biting down on your lip again. “There you go,” He smiles as you moan and whimper, drool beginning to pool around Jungkook's fingers (not that he minds at all.) “I need to know how good I am to you,” He cracks, a small whimper slipping as he finishes his sentence. 
“You look so pretty, Kook-ah,” You babble around his fingers softly, looking down at him. The visual is almost enough to make you cum on the spot, so unbelievably worked up it almost hurts. The way he’s peering up at you like you’re everything to him, chest beginning to artificially flush, lips bright red, cheeks beginning to match. His hair is still splayed around his head, creating a pretty halo. “Gonna cum again for you,” You whimper, hips meeting his own with a small slap. 
“Good,” He smiles, rubbing small circles in your clit when you begin avoiding grinding onto him. It makes your legs shake further, your moans growing as you’re unable to muffle yourself, one hand still holding your jaw. You cum hard, thighs shaking harder than you’ve ever experienced before. Jungkook's sensitive to your reaction, slowing down his movements to allow you to ride through it without it hurting too much. “Good girl, so good for me, feels good, hm? Just a bit longer,” He talks you through it gently, voice honey to your ears. 
You nod, riding through it for as long as possible. As you finish, your body slumps forward, arms wrapping around Kook’s neck as you hug him close. “Do you not cum? Is that not how this works?” You chuckle softly, his cock still throbbing softly. 
“I can, when I feel that my partner has been thoroughly pleased and satisfied.” He informs, his CyberLife popping out for a quick moment. You shake, holding him closer. Jungkook wraps his arms around you, gently stroking your hair as you calm down. 
“You’re going to be the death of me, how much more satisfied am I gonna get?” 
“We’ll find out.” 
“Jungkook,” You pull back the slightest bit to catch his face, a cheeky smirk written all over it. He leans forward, placing a soft kiss onto the tip of your nose. 
“I gotta make up for the weeks you were celibate.” He softly grinds up into you, filling you with a wave of want once more. “I need to satisfy you,”  He teases, kissing along your jaw and beginning to trail down to your neck. “Make sure no one else ever does it as good as me, no one else can make you cum like I can.” He continues, beginning to sit up and make you sit up as well, easily lifting both of your body weight. 
“Fuck, Kook,” You whine, allowing him to maneuver you onto your back, never slipping out once. You can feel him throb softly, beginning to work himself up. 
“So even if you look elsewhere, all you’ll think of is me, this pussy all mine, always,” He bites down softly into the flesh of your shoulder, leaving a light mark. “My girl,” He smiles, leaving light marks once more. His hips instinctively grind into you as he talks, not giving you a break for a second. 
“All yours, Kook. I'm all yours.” You whimper softly as he slides out entirely, slowly filling you up again. 
“Fuck, Y/n,” He whimpers into your neck, seemingly beginning to feel affected. “So tight,” He pants softly, hiking your legs up before pinning them to his shoulders, hands placed firmly on the couch underneath you. He’s deeper like this, able to target exactly where you need him without even really trying to. He slides out slowly, snapping his hips forward this time. It forces a moan from the both of you, sharp spikes of pleasure shooting up your back. 
Jungkook holds his torso up, strong arms flexing and veins beginning to show. Your hands grip hard at his biceps, trying to find some sort of stability as he easily folds you in half, hips unrelenting as he snaps them forward. You can't quiet down, mind becoming fuzzy as you moan and whine for him. 
“So tight, just, ah fuck, pulling me in, Y/n.” Jungkook pants, hands beginning to form fists where he holds the couch underneath his palms. You clench around him, words shooting straight to your core. “Don’t, shit, do that,” His hips falter the slightest bit, head falling forward slightly. 
“Want you to cum with me, Jeon,” You mumble softly, arms reaching around to claw and pull at his back, pulling him closer. “You'll do that for me, please?” You ask, catching his eye contact as he pulls his head up. He lets out a soft moan as you make eye contact, abs beginning to contract as he fights off his pleasure. Fuck, he’d do anything for you. 
“Need you to cum again first, just one more,” He speaks softly, reaching forward and pecking your lips softly before pulling away, he leans back a bit, giving himself more room to maneuver. His hips snap hard, chasing both of your highs. You almost complain at the loss of closeness, but quickly forget about it. “Let me have it, Y/n, need to feel you,”
It’s expected, but still rips through you, head thrown back into the couch as you shake hard. Your chest rises and falls rapidly, almost panting through your orgasm. Jungkook's hips don’t relent, chasing his own high. A loud whimper falls past your lips, hands reaching down in an attempt to push his hips away, “I know, I know, just a bit more, gonna cum for you, just like you asked pretty,” He consoles you, reaching down and softly pulling your palm up to his lips. He softly kisses your palm, hips stuttering and becoming uncoordinated as he teeters on the edge. 
“Please, Jungkook, cum in me,” You whimper, the overstimulation almost too much. Your hand holds the side of his face, his own hands falling to hold onto you. 
“Fuck, fuck, cumming for you,” He whimpers, hips surging forward, cumming as deep as possible. You whine and twitch as he continues, throughly fucking his cum into you until he’s satisfied with the mess the two of you made together. His chest rises and falls, small pants slipping past his soft lips as he leans forward, holding you as close as possible as he kisses you, slow and deep, passionate. It makes you throb, quickly pushing him away before you get going again. 
“Kook,” You smile hazily at him. 
“Right, right,” Jungkook chuckles softly, pulling out as carefully as he can. He's covered in your cum, and you’d probably be more embarrassed if you had a sense of rationale left. “So fucking pretty,” He comments, and you meet his eyes to see what he’s talking about. He’s not staring at you, he’s looking at your pussy, hands hiking your legs up by your knees. 
“JUNGKOOK!!” The embarrassment begins to come back as does your rationality. Your legs pull against his hands, closing in on yourself. 
“I mean it,” He laughs softly, letting you go as he leans forward to kiss you once more. “C’mon,” He smiles, wrapping his arms around you and easily lifting you. You don’t pay much attention, but you know he’s walking to the bathroom based on the direction he’s going. He runs you a warm bath, consistently checking the temperature for you. He waits with you while it fills, softly rubbing out sore muscles to the best of his ability, kissing the dark marks in your skin. Once it’s filled, he carefully helps you in, making sure you don’t slip. Once you’re fully in, he gets up and begins to make his way out.
“Kook? Can you not take a bath?” 
“I can, I just need to clean up really quick first. I’ll be right back, promise,” He smiles, kissing the top of your head before leaving. You can faintly hear him shuffle about, evening declaring the space clean enough before joining you in the bath, sliding behind you. “You feel okay?” Jungkook asks softly against your shoulder, voice making goosebumps sprout against your skin. Your head is leaned back against his shoulder, back completely rested against his torso. “Anything hurt too badly?” He asks genuinely, not looking as he kisses the bite mark on your shoulder he left behind. 
“Yeah, I feel okay,” You smile, nudging against him softly. “I need to know though, how does your cum work? Do I have to buy a plan B or? That’d be kinda freaky, technology so advanced it can create life.” 
Jungkook genuinely laughs, making the water slosh as the both of you bounce softly. “No, no. It acts as a lubricant actually, so we could keep going if we really wanted to.” He smiles, arms wrapping around your shoulders as he hugs you close. “I wish though, you’d be such a good mama for me,” His voice vibrates against your skin, his palms splaying across your stomach where he holds you close. Once again, your pussy aches as he talks softly against your skin. 
“Do not!” You warn, pushing his face and hand away as it begins trailing further down. “We'll be going round 2,3,4, and 5 if you keep it up.” You laugh, trying to get away from him. 
“C’mon, pretty, relax. Let me clean you up,” Jungkook giggles as you slide away from him, trying to sit on the opposite side of the tub. He grabs your ankle, easily manuerving you to rest against his torso once more. He does as he promises, gently cleaning all the fluids and sweat off of your body, hands ghostly as he tries not to stimulate you any further. “I love you Y/n.” Jungkook sighs softly as he finishes his work, arms coming to wrap around you. 
“I love you too, Kook.” You smile softly, craning your neck around to kiss him gently. You carefully maneuver your feet under you, shakily standing out of the water. 
“Easy there, bambi,” He chuckles, holding his arms out on either side of you in case you really do lose balance and slip. He's persistent in his precaution, careful to hold his arms out until you’re securely on the bath mat on stable footing.
“C’mon, finish cleaning up so you can come warm me up,”
“I like the sound of that-“
“Jeon.” 
“Right.”
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tyrantisterror · 4 months
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A Dozen Or So Great Vampire Ladies
Ok, so, on a mostly unrelated post the topic of good vampire ladies came up, and @bisexualdaikaiju suggested/challenged me to do a top 10 vampire women list. As a self-professed lover of vampire women, it felt like a challenge I couldn't back down from. But it is kind of challenging, for two kind of contradictory reasons.
First, while there are MANY female vampires in fiction, most of them feel like afterthoughts, getting far less characterization than their male counterparts, who more often than not are the star villains of the show. When these supporting lady vampires do get something to do, it's generally the same role: make their human lovers sad when they rise from the dead as a monster that has to be killed, an emotional beat that is often undercut by a lot of these vampire women not getting much characterization to endear them to us before they died. Everyone wants to have the Lucy Westerna plot beat from Dracula but they don't want to do the work that Bram did to make Lucy lovable. The lady vamps who get to step out of Lucy's shadow are rare - but that just makes them all the more wonderful.
The second problem is that, since this is an obsession of mine that few seem to share (there are lots of vampire fans, but man do the boy vamps get to hog the spotlight among them), I've done a lot of scattered thinking about it and I just know I'm bound to forget at least one excellent lady vampire character that should be here. And whittling it down to ten, and trying to rank them? That's too hard! My thoughts are too mercurial to do that reliably in a way I don't forget!
So instead here's a list of, like, a dozen or so lady vampires that I think are just fucking stellar, many of which I think break the mold of what pop culture makes us expect lady vampires to be. It is not ranked - I love all these characters more or less equally, and think it's a lot more interesting to see how they take their archetype in different directions than to figure out which one is "best" of the lot.
Carmilla Karnstein
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I'm going to start with the most famous literary female vampire, Mircalla Karnstein from Carmilla. I think she might be the first vampire to have an unhealthy obsession with using anagrams of her real name as aliases, though I'm sure now that I've typed that someone will find an earlier example to school me. She's also the one who popularized the idea of lady vampires being extremely sapphic, with an arguably genuine romantic affection for her female victims. She's got well-deserved clout, basically, and like Dracula has been adapted countless times and reinterpreted in some excellent ways. My favorite screen Carmilla is Ingrid Pitt's take, which captures her fierceness, passion, and tragic nature so well.
2. Amy from Fright Night
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Ok, we're having one Lucy Westerna knockoff on this list, but as Lucy knockoffs go, Amy is one of the best. It actually helps that she spends 90% of her movie as a human, because we get to know and love her so much before she turns monstrous. And once she does...
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It is pants-shittingly terrifying. I will never stop raving about the vampire designs in this movie - they made their "game faces" so fucking monstrous and I feel like in a better world this would be the standard ever since, especially since they still gave the vampires pathos while making them so ghastly when they've got their feeding faces on.
3. Drusilla
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a bunch of vampire characters, and to its credit they did a decent job of making the ladies just as distinct as the gents. Harmony and Darla could both have made this list, but my favorite was always Drusilla, who was so traumatized before she became a vampire that it kind of overwhelms the demon spirit inside her. Like, bare minimum thing to make a lady vampire more interesting than 90% of other female vampires in fiction: give her at least one personality trait, preferably an interesting one, outside of being a vampire. Drusilla's fun, and she survives the entire series after dumping her boyfriend to be a single female vampire. Good for her.
4. Ruby from Scary Godmother
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Ok look I am a fake Scary Godmother fan but kudos to the artist of the books for making a lady vampire who's very clearly of the nosferatu mold and is also explicitly benign and sweet. A+ vampire lady character design. I hope it doesn't awaken anything in me.
5. Nadja
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What We Do in the Shadows is excellent at finding new takes on vampires in general - it even made me actually like Psychic Vampires as a concept, a feat I thought was impossible - but goddamn do I love Nadja specifically. She's got a distinct personality as vampire ladies go, being very confident and self-assured while also being a complete fucking goober (it is a comedy, after all). She's perfectly capable of being terrifying AND hilarious, often at the same time. A vampire girl failure, in the parlance of our site. I love her.
6. Lady Dimitrescu
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I know that she's apparently only in a fourth of the game, but it's still pretty great that Resident Evil 8 decided its mascot villain - its equivalent of the Tyrant, G, Nemesis, etc. - would be the hottest woman I've ever seen a milf an 8 foot tall lady vampire. She's not dainty and willowy like most lady vamps in fiction - not an ambush hunter - but rather HUGE and capable of tossing a human around like a rag doll. She's a physical powerhouse and she looks fine feminine while doing it. Despite being an unabashed blood-sucking monster, she still has enough depth and complexity to have important relationships (like a genuine love for her "giant mass of hive mind flies" daughters), and also she gets to have an awesome transformation into a fungal vampire dragon, which is rad as hell. Also goddamn, her fashion sense is immaculate.
7. Hecate from Hellboy
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"Hey, she's not a vampire! She's a goddess! That doesn't count!" Fuck you, my list, my rules. Hecate posits herself as the progenitor and mother of vampires, she drinks blood, and her main form in the comic is as a sicknasty lamia version of the iron maiden used by Elizabeth fucking Bathory, if she doesn't count as a vampire, nothing should. She is the concept of a vampire amped up to maximum capacity, a major mythological figure and an awesome villain.
...also I lowkey shipped her and Hellboy when I was a teenager. They could have made it work!
8 - 12. Carmilla and her girl squad from Castlevania
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I suppose I could have counted Castlevania's Carmilla as an adaptation of Miss Karnstein - they're both basted out of Styria, both sapphic, and it's clear she's meant to be an adaptation of the former, just as the Dracula of this show is meant to be a take on Bram's famous vampire. But ultimately they're VERY different characters in the grand scheme of things - Castlevania's Carmilla has none of the tenderness and vulnerability of her literary counterpart, instead being full of barely restrained fury. She is an excellent villain, complex enough to be interesting but thoroughly despicable enough to make it VERY satisfying when she bites it.
I also love her girl posse... in concept, at least. They've all got great designs and the groundwork of interesting characters, but of the the three, only Lenore, the waifish redhead, gets to do much of note. The two on the edges kind of just show up for a few scenes and then bail before the plot catches up to them, doing very little of note - though at least the big hunky one gets one of the coolest fight scenes in the whole show.
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Back to Lenore though - she gets a really nice character arc, and manages to become one of the few sympathetic vampires in the series (while still doing a lot of monstrous shit - she is not a defanged vampire by any stretch). I think her death scene is one of the most moving moments in the series finale.
13. Seras Victoria
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A good female vampire has at least one non-vampire part of her personality, right? Ok, so, Seras is:
the muscle in almost every scene she is, which is to say, the one absolutely beating the shit out of people while her allies run for cover
the perky henchman/morality pet of one of history's greatest monsters
the sole ray of sunshine in cast of edgy, cigar-chomping grizzled mercnaries and antiheroes she's been pressganged into fighting alongside
the victim of some HIDEOUS trauma even before her vampirization
the protege of a wise master who gets a full hero's journey arc, taking up his mantle at the end of the series
Like, I love her. She's the secret protagonist of Hellsing. She's got layers like an onion. The scene where she killed Zora Blitz reminded me why I love anime.
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(yeah it's the TFS version fuck you)
14. Youko Shiragami
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My Monster Secret is not a horror manga. It is a romantic comedy about a bunch of idiots trying to keep painfully obvious secrets hidden and succeeding only because almost everyone around them is as dumb as they are, just in very different ways. It is a manga where an entire chapter can be summarized as "all the characters race to get the last McRib, using their various supernatural abilities to try and cheat their way to the front of the pack." It is one of the funniest and most heart-warming stories I have ever read, one of my favorite romances of all time, and an excellent piece of long form story-telling.
One of the two main characters is Youko Shiragami, a vampire girl who can't let anyone know she's a vampire or else her dad will pull her out of school. She desperately wants to have a normal life with friends and, like, school shenanigans, but her fear of people uncovering her secret and hating her is so immense that she's been isolating herself from everyone, accidentally torturing herself by being close to what she wants but unable to actually have it.
At least, until Kuromine, the other main character of the story, discovers her secret while trying to ask her out on a date. He ends up promising to keep her secret, and the two of them form a real friendship that blossoms into a very sweet romance, where Youko gets to display all her incongruous personality traits that go against what you'd expect of vampires - namely, that she's kind of a ditz, with an unrefined style of speech and a complete inability to be suave and seductive. She's a sweet, flaky goofball with a big heart, who just happens to drink blood and tan really quickly in the sunlight. There is no other vampire like her, and the world is richer for her being in it.
15. Marceline, the Vampire Queen
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This list isn't ranked, but if it was, I'd put Marceline at the top. I think she is not only the most unique and deeply characterized lady vampire in fiction, but ranks right up there with Dracula in how she redefines the idea of what a vampire can be. Like, look at the forms she takes!
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There are DOZENS of different monstrous shapes Marceline takes during Adventure Time's 9+ seasons of television, and any one of them would be a superb and memorable vampire on its own. And she's ALL of them. Just on a design standpoint, she is a standout. I think only Dracula himself could compete.
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But she also explores what the concept of what a vampire is in ways no other vampire in fiction can, in part because of the unique nature of Adventure Time's setting. In a world where humans are an extreme minority and most people are weird monsters, a vampire isn't that odd, so we get to explore what being a vampire means divorced from the comparison to "normal" human beings. There's the expected tragedy to Marceline, of course - she's a 16 year old who has been stuck in that adolescent state for hundreds of years, and much of her character arc over the show (including the magnificent vampire-centric storyline, "Stakes") focuses on the horror of being stuck in that transitional state, not quite a child but not quite an adult. Marceline struggles to mature, to understand herself and others, and her vampirism both keeps her distant from reaching those goals but also gives her a lot of time to figure out how to approach them when the opportunity arirves. Marceline goes from one of the most immature and selfish characters in the show to perhaps the most emotionally intelligent, blossoming into a sensitive and thoughtful person she could never have been without first becoming a creature that seems so inherently opposed to ever having those traits.
And she did it all in a children's show where she was rarely if ever allowed to actually drink blood - a problem the writers got around by having her suck the red color out of things, which is right up there with the Joker Venom from BTAS in terms of genius ideas spawned by children's show censorship.
Marceline is the GOAT.
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Okay I've been meaning to respond to a post but Tumblr won't let me reblog it for whatever reason, but I feel like my response has enough context on its own that I can make it it's own post.
So this is in response to multiple posts I've seen people make about Wilson telling House that he wishes he had been an asshole like him, House responds that he would still have cancer, and Wilson says, "Yeah but at least I'd feel like I deserved it!"
There are so many people saying that Wilson had absolutely no reason for saying that, that they can't understand why he would say it, that it didn't need to be in there, and how dare he say that to House after House helped him so much after his cancer diagnosis.
There was a reason behind it, just because it's not a happy reason, doesn't mean it's not an understandable one. I think the way Wilson sees it at first is that House has spent his entire life pushing people away and hurting them so that he doesn't get hurt in return. House has abused and ruined every relationship he's had. House constantly hurts people, and yet, he gets to live. Wilson, on the other hand, has practically dedicated his life to helping and taking care of others. He's maintained this nice guy mask his entire life, and yet Wilson, who has lived what others would call a good life, who has been what others would consider a good man, is the one that gets cancer and is going to die.
Wilson feels like he wasted his life being a "good man" instead of just doing and saying whatever the fuck he wanted like House. Wilson is jealous of House. Wilson is laying there on the couch in insufferable pain with death looming over him, and here's Gregory House, asshole extraordinaire, who's alive and well (as well as he usually is). That has to really fucking hurt.
This idea that "omg how could Wilson do that?? He said that for no reason!!" Is just not true. Wilson said it because he's was in excruciating pain and terrified and just found out he was going to die in a couple of months. Wilson was scared, and he was lashing out, which is a very human reaction. House does it all the time, Wilson is not special in the way he reacts to pain. The entire series is full of House berating people and hurting them and saying awful things, and pushing them away. He does that to Wilson multiple times. And Wilson forgave him every single time. And so when Wilson is in pain and lashing out, House knows not to take his personally, and that's why he basically immediately forgave him.
House and Wilson know each other well enough that they can see behind the harsh words, and understand each others intent. Ideally, Wilson would not have said that, and he should have apologized, but that was not a crazy horrific reaction. It's true, House has done a lot for Wilson during their relationship, especially after his cancer diagnosis, but Wilson has also sacrificed for House. After the infarction, House lashed out and pushed away and abused everybody until they all cracked under it and left. Everybody except Wilson. Wilson put up with the constant humiliation, degradation, pain, and abuse from House.
Wilson put House before everything in his life, including his marriage. Later, Wilson refuses to vote to get rid of House, and therefore loses his spot on the board, and the job that he loved and put so much of his life into. All to protect House. Wilson lies multiple times to the police to protect House, risking his freedom if they found out. Wilson and House constantly sacrifice for each other, it's just what they do. Neither one of them is "better" or "worse", they just are.
If they switched roles, and House was the one with cancer, House would definitely lash out as Wilson, no doubt about it. And Wilson would forgive him. Wilson has such a realistic reaction. It doesn't matter how many times you see people diagnosed with cancer and think that it's not personal, that cancer doesn't have an agenda, nothing can prepare you for when it happens to you or somebody you love, and a lot of the time, it feels incredibly personal.
How we react to dying and sickness is not always rational, and anger is a stage of grief. This is Wilson trying to grapple with his death, and that doesn't always look pretty. Sure, it was a fucked up thing to say and House didn't deserve it, but Wilson wasn't just insulting him for the fun of it. He had a very realistic, understandable reason behind it.
Not going to lie, I see people all the time talking about this scene in particular, with such a surface level approach to it. They act mad or confused, and talk about how they have no idea how someone could possibly hurt their favourite characters. So yeah, Wilson saying it was a shitty thing to do, but there is no way it was the worst thing anybody said, and he had very obvious, complex reasons for it.
I honestly love this scene, and I think it gives so much insight into Wilson's character. Wilson finally lashes out and exposes his grief in such a raw, mean way is lowkey a pivotal moment for him because he's finally letting himself be the "bad guy." And yeah, they weren't forced to put this in the show. It's literally fiction. They don't have to put anything in. But it fits so well. So yeah, just because he has complex reasoning for why he said what he said, that doesn't mean the reasoning doesn't exist.
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innocent-cat · 11 months
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I saw the Vox Machina with an Eda like reader and liked it, can I get a platonic one for Reader who is like King?
Not human thinks they are something related to monsters (but it turns out they are powerful creatures), are basically like a kid who gets frustrated when something doesn't go right and releases a squeak of rage, and is on a journey to find their family.
Waitttt I actually love this idea?
HEY!!! YOU!!!! my comms r open!! please request me!!
PartTitan!Reader x Vox Machina
HEADCANNONS
warnings - none
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"Temper Titan", Titan!Reader x vox machina
everyone at once (devil emoji)
Nobody really quite KNOWS what you are, but they know you're part.
Referencing to the title, Percy has said he thinks your part titan, but due to advancements, there is no way to know for sure.
Because of that, Vox Machina had become known for having a "Temper Titan."
It's kind of embarrassing, at first when you heard of it, but you are pretty terrifying when you're mad.
Much like King and other titans, when you stomp or yell, the ground shakes and often things that should be strong enough to be stable such as a boulder, break.
Vox Machina also calls you this… but.. at least they accept you?
Anger issues goes crazy as a titan. you're real sensitive, but you can often end up sad instead of angry when they try to wind you up mid-battle.
Scanlan often tries to make fun of you during a battle but instead he just tugs on your strings and makes you cry.
A little upsetting when it happens, and you end up not talking to Scanlan for a while.
called you a whole loser dude
He was MEANNN man.
Of course, your cries are just as powerful if not more powerful than your stomps and yells.
he likes to pretend you couldn't drag him with and without magic
Sadly, when you do have a temper, Keyleth can feel it through her plants.
Its a downside, so when you're going nuts, Keyleth is down and coping with the fact the ground and plants are in pain.
its also a battle field issue a lot.. thankfully Scanlan's bard magic can always lift them up, but, it makes them a big, chunky target.
You being a little kid they don't want to be up too long without you.
Percy is especially careful about this.
Vex and Vax on the other hand could not care LESS.
swim or drown in their little world.
Keyleth scolds them about their carelessness for you, but when it comes down to it, they are the first ones to dive in and save you.
Vax especially.
They both see you as a younger sibling.
They try to keep your temper under control, but it doesn't work out sometimes, and you guys end up having to run away while in public
Like.. literally mid tantrum they'll just pick you up and put you on trinket.
sent away for poor behavior!!!
Vax buys you literally anything you want and its crazy..
its not even because he doesn't want you to be mad, its because he wants you to have what he didn't in his childhood, but Vex has a different view, and still wants you to grow up and be a responsible person.
BUT ANYWAYYYYYYY MORE KEYLETHH??? YES MORE KIKI
she often likes to take you out to nature just because
her connection to it makes her feel you have one too because they all think(know) you're a titan.
its really nice because you'll literally just lay there and you'll feel vines and grass growing around you comfortingly
like a big ol' blanket
Sometimes, you'll go out to her little spot without her, and you'll literally just be there for HOURS.
You gave Percy a heart attack.
he kinda scolded Keyleth for it so you started crying.. and.. titan tantrum.
he kinda just sighed and picked you up and brought you home with Keyleth
Grog is also low-key protective of you???
a lot like how he is with Pike
Pike might have told him to protect you, but either way, he is quite the man for the job.
consider him a body blocker
PIKE WILL MAKE YOU FUCKING MEDITATE WITH HER
not for religious reasons, just to help you calm down sometimes.
She's super sweet to you man.
mama pike
usually the one cooking for you because she strongly believes you should not be eating all the crap Vox Machina eats because they're all raging alcoholics with mommy or daddy issues(most of the time both)
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orionsangel86 · 1 year
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Aa someone who pretty much threw away all their hope as soon as SPN cons started up again after the finale, it is a really crazy position to be in now to have to once again adjust my views and reconsider everything thats been said over the last 2.5 years.
I quit spn fandom and stopped paying attention to cast interviews because frankly:
Jared literally does nothing but spew the absolute worst most rancid takes I have ever heard to the point that I genuinely believe the man is completely deranged and has no idea about the show he filmed for 15 years
Misha has basically given up hope and stopped caring. He started off fighting to ensure people took the confession seriously, and seemed genuinely proud and passionate about ensuring people understood the love confession was legit and Cas knew exactly what he was saying, but over the years it seemed like he was broken down behind the scenes and forced to toe a company line of ambiguity for some unknown suspicious reason. Now he's back to resorting to jokes most of the time.
Jackles though, Jackles has until this point always been a fucking head fuck of a mystery. The "sexy silence" post finale. The sole interactions being with Misha and about the confession. The way he gushed about the confession shortly after it aired before the finale. Then the production company, The Winchesters, the J2 messy public fallout and cringy PR fake reassurance of love for his "brother". The fact that in every con up until this point he has kept any answers about the confession abiguous and deliberately vague - always playing both sides, always trying to keep ALL fans happy whatever they believe about the show. The attempt to explain it as Cas not feeling love the way humans do at one point (much to fandoms horror).
I admit I have joked many times about the "jackles long con" (the conspiracy theory that ever since he found out how spn has ended he has personally been on a war path to fix things and give us a satisfactory ending for Dean and Cas) but I was always in 2 minds about whether it was legit a thing. I believed he wanted to fix Dean's ending somehow yes, but I always figured Cas's story was an afterthought the same way Sam's was. I had no delusions that Jackles would legit want to give closure to the confession and give us reciprocated Destiel - whatever that may look like. It just didn't seem like a thing Jackles would want to do. Save Dean? Yes definitely. But actually make it canon that Dean is bisexual and madly in love with his angelic best friend? Even on his most Destiel friendly days I have never been able to truly believe that.
But this latest response from him at jibcon is veerrrry interesting. To plainly state that he hopes the confession is addressed. That he wants to see that. Its the first time he's ever mentioned it in non vague terms.
Look I have no hope of a fanfiction style sappy romantic destiel reunion scene in the Winchesters or whatever. But for Jensen to genuinely give a clear and thoughtful response about what he thinks that would look like, that he thinks Dean would want to talk about that, and address it, that is certainly progress beyond anything we've had from him before.
One of my friends in our group chat raised the thought of Jackles addressing the confession only to have Dean tell Cas he's sorry, but he doesn't feel the same way. THAT is a terrifying thought, but I gotta ask, would Jackles really do such a thing? He knows exactly how much Destiel means to the fans. He knows how important it is, hell, he was online watching the Nov 5th fallout along with everyone else. If it wasnt important, it wouldn't have trended above the US election. He would alienate the majority of his fanbase. Remember, he has already technically picked a side - something I thought he would never do. The Jared stans and bronlies and Destiel haters all loathe him now. They curse his name as much as Misha's ever since he dared to exclude Sam/Jared from The Winchesters. Jensen isn't an idiot, he knows who his main fanbase is, and that is proved even more obvious by The Winchesters itself, which according to my friends who watch it, is very pro Destiel. My friend described it as what SPN could have been were it not for Jared and Bob Singer - a kinder, friendlier, queerer, and more equal, show. I haven't watched it so I can't comment, but I see so many people say that this among other recent behaviours proves that Jackles is on our side.
I am of course still a bit hesitant to give him so much credit. I'm not gonna stamp him with a big HELLER FRIEND stamp like the one we stamped on Misha years ago. But I am feeling more positive towards him than I have in ages.
Ever since the confession, the official stance on Destiel seems to be to keep it as vague and ambiguous as possible. To never confirm or deny anything especially when it comes to Dean. This has been frustrating, but has kept the door open at least.
By Jackles stating today that he wants the confession addressed and even hinting that it may be in the cards sooner rather than later, tells me that a decision has possibly been made.
The ambiguity has got to go. Dean either reciprocates or he doesn't. Those are the only options available.
If, as it has so often been teased and alluded to, Cas is going to make an appearance in The Winchesters, Jackles would surely need to get Misha on board with his plans. Misha who has been firmly on the side of Destiel since day 1. Would Misha really agree to step back into Cas's shoes only to have his heart broken by a rejection from the man he loves? I don't think he would.
So surely, the only way for the confession to be addressed is to go with the other option. Full reciprocation.
Who else is there to even object anymore? Jared? Fuck that guy? Bob Singer? That old asshole has no power anymore. The CW? Maybe. I dunno what Jackles situation is with the execs and how much power he has over the Winchesters stories. But perhaps he's been able to convince them? Given the state of queer media in 2022 and how rapidly the world has moved on from tolerating CW style queerbait.
Shows like OFMD, Good Omens, The Sandman, IWTV, WWDITS, etc etc... they have proven that queer is popular. It brings in cash. The CW has always been sitting on a goldmine with Destiel, which has never really stopped being popular, even now. They were fools to not go all the way the first time around, and after the queer media boom of 2022 they look like even bigger fools. I still have my own beliefs about the circumstances that prevented a proper destiel ending (mostly to do with the business of the one star the CW were holding onto at that time and his stupid cop propoganda show) but considering all that has happened since then, were the CW given another chance to explore Destiel now, I think they'd be absolute fools not to take it.
Anyway, the point of all my rambling is this: I think I'm back on board. Laying it all out logically, if Jackles is gonna address this, he's gonna do it in the way that will be the most popular, and generate the most publicity, engagement, and ultimately, cash.
In other words: we may see yet ANOTHER "Destiel is canon" day before the decade is over.
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izunias-meme-hole · 9 days
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One Villainous Scene - Nibelheim Incident 2: Electric Boogaloo
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The most iconic moment from the original has been entirely remastered.
Anyone who's played the original Final Fantasy VII knows who Sephiroth is. He’s easily the most iconic Final Fantasy villain and one of the most iconic villains in gaming. Doesn’t matter if you know him as the scary ass dude who stalks a twink, one the most notorious superbosses in Kingdom Hearts, a silver haired anime man, or even the “Alien Mama’s Boy,” we can ALL agree that he’s terrifying, especially in the Original FF7. However we are not focusing on the Original Sephiroth, we are focusing on the Remake Trilogy's Sephiroth.
In the original, we first hear this guys name after he stabs the false main antagonist, President Shinra, with his iconic sword, but we never see him. We are given an idea of what he’s like, but we never see him in the earlier portions of the game. Meanwhile the first installment of the Remake introduces Sephiroth way too early, which both creates a slight bit of intrigue and shoots down the chance for him to be the level of enigmatic that he was in the early game, and sadly reduced some of his menace. However, despite their differences, both incarnations of the character end up going down a similar road, and raise intrigue that gets paid off in the trilogy's second installment, Rebirth.
At the opening of this second part of the trilogy, Cloud looks back at his “memories” of him, and from what we can gather Sephiroth was cold and stoic man with some care for his men and some kind of… hidden sorrow. He’s still currently a mystery, but what we do know is that he is considered a “war hero” to Shinra, he and Cloud are heading to Cloud’s hometown, Nibelheim, and that this flashback is building up to something. Then we are introduced to the possibility of him not being human when both he and Cloud discover a hidden Shinra lab, find monsters, and the name Jenova, coincidentally the name of Sephiroth’s mom. So after having a small mental breakdown at the possibility that he might not be human, Sephiroth goes to the Shinra Manor, and he locks himself in there to find out what he truly was.
Then the madness begun…
When Cloud sees Sephiroth again, he isn’t welcomed with his traditional cold demeanor. Instead he’s welcomed to the sight of him rambling about the Cetra, the possibility of himself and his mother being Cetra, revealing that he was basically Shinra’s lab rat, and making notions that humans were inferior compared to him. He sounds like an insane person at this point, and just when things weren’t tense enough, he just knocks out Cloud, and exits the manor with a mission to see his "mother".
Now here's the biggest alteration to this scene. After waking up and exiting the manor, Cloud is fearing the worst, and his fears soon became reality. Nibelheim was being burnt to the ground, his hometown was being burnt to the ground, complete and utter panic is being spread, and its residents are being slaughtered. Cloud goes into the burning village to go look for his mother, only to witness her be trapped in her own home and burnt to a crisp as he lays on the ground completely helpless. A villager then tries to help Cloud, but is soon skewered by Sephiroth's blade. From there, Cloud begins drawing his way to the ruthless Sephiroth, trying to regain strength as his former idol slaughters anyone in his way. This entire sequence is slow and prodding, but its worth it because after Cloud finally gains the strength to stand on his own two feet and look Sephiroth in the eye, all he ends up seeing is an entirely different man, surrounded by fire. Sephiroth, the Sephiroth, the legend... BROKE DOWN, and Cloud is just realizing that fact by looking at this monster standing in the fire.
I still think that the original version of the Nibelheim Incident was perfect, but the small little changes that were made to how its all set up, somehow delivered the exact same feeling of dread, which is should be an impossibility considering how oversaturated Sephiroth was in the earlier part of the trilogy. Either way, Sephiroth is still A walking, talking, unethical, and tragic science experiment with a god complex, mommy issues, and a very clear terror that is alien compared to every other villain or creature, so far. He may be unable to properly invoke the same terror he could in the OG FFVII, but the Sephiroth we see in this trilogy has just made the promise that it's not going to reduce his monstrous he's going to be, and oh boy does he keep that promise after this scene.
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captainbobbin · 8 days
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what do you think about the concept of haunting the narrative? like a character's whole thing being how Not There they are and yet they still influence how the story goes. it makes me think about a lot of things personally, like how people who aren't in my life anymore still affect how I act and the things I like, they haunt the narrative of my life basically. (sorry if this is strange new/old thing came up in the current hyperfixation that still has me in a stranglehold that made me think about it)
SORRY I meant to answer this far sooner - I've been rotating the answer in my head a lot haha! Gonna do a read more as I am sure I will ramble.
So I wanna say that I try to make sure that in all of my longfic series there is an overarching sense of that exact feeling, of there being someone unseen that we hear about and sense and we see their aftermath even if we don't 100% see them, or at least don't see them right away.
In my Stardew Valley Withstanding The Tide series, its most definitely Elliott's biological family. For context: Elliott, the writer, finds himself having to take care of his friend, Braeburn's, farm after a series of horrible incidents lands them both in trouble of various kinds, physically, financially, and emotionally. Elliott struggles deeply with his worth and his ability and if he and Braeburn are even friends because he simply cannot grasp the idea of him being worthy of someones time, space or energy. For the entire first part of the series we don't get a lot of information about Elliott's past at all, but I really wanted there to be a sense of 'oh this man has such a warped view of himself and there was absolutely a reason for it'.
As the second part of the series, Redamancy, goes on, we get more and more information until we meet Elliott's mother in the flesh, and I really wanted it to feel like a solid heart-stopping moment. Like this mythical, foreboding woman that has twisted Elliott's sensibilities and has only been passively mentioned is suddenly here and she is just one normal human person but she is terrifying because of the way she has had her claws sunken into what is essentially our protagonist for not only his whole life but the entire story so far. I think I even have him describe her as a hydra after the cliffhanger haha. Elliott's father is absent from the story, but that only really adds to the grief he feels; is it better to have someone you have removed from your life be entirely gone, never to return? How do you describe the feeling of knowing that someone who ought to have loved you is still just out there somewhere, living their life, unburdened by what they did to you? I write from my own experiences and I really hope that it shows - the abstraction of familial ties makes a person both desperate and terrified to form new connections to people. Elliott's familiy and their mixed intentions and twisted expressions of 'care' are things I really wanted to hang over him, even if it isnt explicitly talked about in the first half of the series.
For my DQXI Open Wounds series, there is just so much dread hanging over Hendrik, but the most obvious haunting of the narrative is by that of Norberto. For context: the world has ended and Hendrik is tasked with guiding The Luminary through the wreckage so that things can be made right again, and along their journey they reconnect with The Luminary's missing friends. However, Hendrik has secrets of his own, and has been in a state of grieving for practically his entire life. Norberto, a boy he had grown up with and idolised, vanished into the night without warning, and ever since then, Hendrik has carried the weight of that very personal loss in his heart. So as he and The Luminary make tracks across the ruins of the world - ruins that Hendrik had part in making - he thinks of Norberto. Norberto who has to be dead, he has to be, he must be dead and gone, something out there killed him because he was so good and just vanished. He never wrote. He was never heard from again. Norberto is long dead and Hendrik adored him, has never gotten over him, has never loved another. Hendrik has long lost his faith and struggles with the idea of there being an afterlife anymore, if there ever was one to begin with, but he wants so badly for Norberto to be out there, somewhere, up above, looking out for him, waiting for him, guiding his hand as he marches through the land in search of light... only to find Sylvando. Sylvando, who left in the middle of the night nigh on fifteen years ago and has changed his name, taken up a new profession, and is ecstatic to see his old best friend again. Hendrik, naturally, is torn apart. Someone who mentally he had envisioned as this unshakable, wonderful young warrior forever gone has been alive this entire time, and now lives as a travelling entertainer. He's different. Vastly different. Everything is upside down. Hendrik's worldview is shaken so many times over, people he thought he could trust have betrayed him and this boy, this person he had internalised as an angel sat on his shoulder, is now in front of him, laughing at him and being a bit of a dickhead. Hendrik already has so much grief, has seen so much loss - having Sylvando in his life ought to feel like a win, but he cannot help but just be so upset by all of this.
There's other characters thematically haunting the narrative of course - Jasper, Mordegon, the other sentinels of course - but I really wanted this harsh tone of Norberto being seperate to Sylvando, to Hendrik's own focus on this boy having haunted him for his whole life. But at the same time it is him, and he's the same, but he isn't. Would Hendrik have behaved the same if he had known the truth? About anything? How would life had been different if Sylvando had at least said goodbye? Is it too late? Were they doomed from the start? Does Sylvando even give a shit about what he's done - does he even know what he's done? Hendrik by nature is a stern and quiet character that broods and self-flagellates and struggles socially, so to be met with someone who is his equal in many ways and yet his opposite, one who he has such a history with, one who knows how to love and love so openly.... Hendrik has been carrying around a ghost for the last twenty years, only to find out that its body was still wandering around out in the big wide world, laughing and smiling and celebrating while he mourned.
And of course for my KH Left Foot Over The Right series you know it's Xemnas. I think he's mentioned in every single chapter. While Xehanort was the one who caused such ripples in the universe and put so many horrible plans into action, Xemnas is the one who had such a personal, intimate stake in Saïx and therefore Isa, let alone poor Terra. For context: Isa wakes up newly reformed and overwhelmed by humanity, crippled by guilt and unsure of what to even do with himself - Terra recognises him and their two groups come together as one as they try to figure out a new life together. Memories of Saïx and Xemnas haunt them both. Again, like my Open Wounds series, I really wanted this separation of Who They Once Were and Who They Are Now; that the past is the past and who they used to be are dead and gone and they're different now, it's a new life, change happens and this is real and things can be better - but I really hope that in my lfotr series that it's obvious that Xemnas is ingrained so deeply into everyone's psyche, not just Isa and not just Terra but the kids and Lea and everyone else; the amount of damage he did, whether conscious or not, is unavoidable and everyone is living in the aftermath of it all. Xehanort's war, the Realm Of Darkness, Nobodyism, they're all fresh and still healing and it is a lot. There are a lot of moving parts in the KH series canonically and every little thing has meaning and can cause other things to happen. Ansem The Wise, Eraqus, the entire Organization, they each influence the story, let alone the main cast of Sora and co; I find the side characters and their influence over the canon story far more interesting! Saïx canonically does so much behind the scenes that we never fully see, and he has been my special interest for eighteen years now haha - he has simply gone through so much and to suddenly be thrust back into a position where he can not only see the aftermath of everything he's done, good and bad, but feel it truly for the first time in his entire adult life? It's hard. Existing is hard. Learning is hard. Healing is hard.
Lfotr, to me, is fully about healing and how vicious is can be. While ofc there's other themes and feelings I want to portray, the path of becoming yourself and coping and reaching out and connecting is my main focus. There are good days and bad days, times when your history is a little too close for comfort, moments when the future seems far too big and far too open. Again, I write from personal experience and use my fics as a way to kind of channel my thoughts. After going through intense periods of trauma and hardship, sometimes you behave in ways you don't want to, sometimes you think in ways you know aren't healthy, sometimes you find solace in strange places and sometimes you latch onto people a little too much because they give you hope. Terra and Isa have both been impacted by what Xemnas has done, and I hope the flashbacks and memories of both him and Xehanort really make it clear that after going through so much for so long that the impact was deep and irreversible. Isa's body will always have memories of Xemnas and what he did, how he was, what he wanted. And Terra's body will always love him, despite everything.
There is also, of course, The Presence in the Realm Of Darkness :) Haunting the narrative, hm....
Life is made of cycles and patterns and things coming back - but it's also made of change and things slowly, almost unrecognisably shifting until its too late. I really hope that in my writing (or at least my longfics where I have time to ramble lmao) that the feeling of the past and its effects prevail, and I really want there to always be a sensation of a bigger, wider world being out there beyond the words I write. I want the characters I portray to feel real and human (where applicable) and for it to really seem like they've lived lifes full of lots of different feelings and memories and that all of them still bear scars in some ways.
The absence of a person can be as impactful as their presence. Sometimes even moreso. The actions of one person, the presence of one person, the smallest and most simple aspects of a person, it can all feel so grand when you focus on it - and can feel even more grand when, suddenly, they're not there anymore. I think very much that my work feels rooted in a human angle of grief - I find it very tricky to write fluff you know! - but I think our experiences around sadness and heartbreak and change help ground us in reality, and that's certaintly the vibe I would like my fics to have. Even if I am writing about yknow disney werewolf keyblade wielders and fantasy clown knights fighting dragons lmao
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stackslip · 2 years
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im having some makima gender thoughts. idk how much of it is purposeful from fujimoto but..... i have Thoughts on how makima performs gender and especially like. Womanhood as Seduction/as Safety/as a Non Threat, but... only in the context of her manipulations as the control devil, especially towards denji and to an extent, aki. vs how shes portrayed in any other interaction or situation. in her moments of vulnerability and when shes terrifying and when she is NOT interacting with denji or aki or like, people shes specifically trying to manipulate. its not just the framing or lack of fanservice, but she feels and acts in a way thats so much more androgynous.
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like, look at these! not just how shes dressed or even how she walks, but how fujimoto frames her in the first page vs the second! if she really were just his femdom fetish, page 2 should present her in a Oooh Femme Fatale way. in page 1 shes playing in the role of feminity that denji expects from her, the role of dainty and non threatening and caring, beautiful girlfriend/mother. and then in page 2 she doesnt have to do that. or even attempt to look threatening. she is herself in page 2, plans going perfectly, beyond harm or understanding.
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and like, i really dont think this is fujimoto going "ooooh women fake and manipulative" bc again these moments of danger and of vulnerability.... are so different. because we know makima was raised to be Control, to pull puppet strings while being perceived as saintly and motherly and a damsel in distress and somebody who owns the situation but isnt a threat. because the other female characters are completely different, bar say reze who herself was raised to be the same kind of weapon that makima is. but power, quanxi, kobeni, himeno–not at all the same!
and like, since chainsaw man is about cycles of abuse, about imposed roles and failing to run from them, about the chains that keep you nice and obedient and subservient to the will and beliefs of those who hold your leash... makima is absolutely referenced as this. shes a direct foil to denji. part of her attraction towards pochita is how she perceives his utter lack of chains, how unpredictable he is, how he is not leashed nor holding any leashes. makima drops her gendered mannerisms and role once shes finished breaking denji and pochita comes out. the only other moment where shes framed as such afterwards is when she brings out the weapon hybrids who are devoted to her. after this, she fights with her fists, she is much more open with her emotions, she is nowhere as sexual or gendered even in how fujimoto draws her.
basically what im saying is that just as makima was taught to see every living creature as a dog for her to leash, and herself as beyond relationships or attachments, she was also *taught* to perform gender in certain ways, not just to "seduce" but.... to let people project onto her, to make them trust her and love her and fear her like good dogs. shes holds a mirror to their expectations in order to hide her web of puppet strings, and said expectations are, inevitably, gendered, tied to heterosexuality and ideas of womanhood as inherently feminine, caring, non threatening. but she herself–idk how she views herself in terms of gender. personally, i think shes thinking of how dog owners use body language and treats and orders in order to direct their dogs attention or correct them. and so often abused dogs do not trust human men.
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mothzarellaman · 1 year
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actually you know what
shout out to that one project i started and never finished that was designing every dsmp character. i did a couple collages but never finished. here were the ones done so far. (w/ notes!)
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I was just kinda going for the general fanon consensus on their design ngl. i wanted to go for more unique color pallete, i think, and while i haven't seen their stuff, i just put together smth that looked neat ngl
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I don't really see any ant designs that like. do anything more than make him a anthro cat. maybe i dont see enough ant designs, who knows. i also never see him in glasses. so i like the concept of him having glasses that kinda have cat ears because i think they're cool lookin. also wanted some puss in boots inspo. wanted to lean into the 'frost' part of his name too, hence the blue-ish tones. and wanted to throw in some red velvet colors for obvious reasons.
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I just kinda threw together design elements i've seen and liked in sam lol. i think creeper centaur sam slaps, and i like it when people draw cat like creepers because its funny. I also was trying to go for unique crowns for the like 5 people on the server that had them.
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i wanted to go for like the reds and blacks that he's known for obviously, and tried to lean into the cult thing with the egg with some choices. the AI art at the bottom was added because this was before i realized how awful it was, because i thought it would be neat to play around with design choices i wouldn't have thought of otherwise. the spider lily is actually due to my concept of having every eggpire member associated with a certain part of a plant, with bad being the petals.
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Again, another streamer i dont really know. just went for things that vibed.
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as you can tell i had no ideas for callahan. maybe i was trying to go for like an android?? idk man. the electric mask was for the concept of instead of talking obviously , the words would just scroll across his face. deer cape because capes are cool.
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as you can tell, i was losing motivation for cool designs and lacked inspiration. the land siren thing is actually my own concept/explanation for hybrids. basically a species thats highly adaptive that mirrors humans and often eats them. got land, marine, and air. all based off of animals that live there.
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i think i just wanted to bully connor ngl. i think his sonic onesie should be like the og movie sonic. terrifying. he also gets participation trophies.
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Wanted to go for like a big mix of stuff with dream because i had too many concepts. wanted some stuff from cat because, ya know, green and black. black mamba dream is cool, idk where i saw it, but its cool. i also like the concept of dream with butterfly traits to mimic moth/spider tommy. because butterflies are freaky but most people like em. the gold heart is because i associate that texture with the revive book. yada yada. this was also made before the dream drama came out.
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kinda just what i said in the image. the words cut off are made and portal. don't got much else.
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i remember seeing an object head for eret that had them as a nether star and its lived in my head rent free for a while. plus me and @espion7971 had an entire joke thing about eret being a god, so there's some vibes there. also the cosplay that isn't eret is by Ihaveakarrotproblem from the dsmp reddit. ( https://www.reddit.com/r/dreamsmp/comments/rnxly4/my_eret_cosplay/ )
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and eryn is where i stopped. never finished him. wanted to go for like a parasitic nether fungus i think, to explain his bloody arm because i think it would be neat.
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heyitstyyyy · 1 year
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so remember how I said I had ideas for that Howl’s Moving Castle au?
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yeah I went bonkers JSJDJDS (excuse the messy handwriting, if u need clarification for what it says just ask smmssm)
Tang is Sophie, Macaque is Howl, MK is Markl, LBD is the Witch of the Waste (instead of turning to an old woman though she turns into the lil girl), I think I’ll have Lady Iron Fan as the headmaster of magic (I forget the name but I believe that’s what she was called in the movie sjsjsj), Mo is Heen, Red Son is Calcifer, aaannd Wukong is Turnip Head (hehehe Peach Head)
made a few changes to some of it, like instead of a normal curse that’s put on Macaque and Red Son, Macaque had taken some of the Samadhi Fire inside of him while coming across Red Son going bonkers when he was a baby, and so his “monster” form is less bird based and more fire based
the little girl yoinks Macaque’s heart out of genuine confusion and not out of selfishness
MK’s disguise isn’t an old man, it’s his old monkie design
Tang is a worker at Pigsy’s Noodles instead of a hat shop, and finds Macaque while delivering noodles to Sandy, and Yin and Jin are hassling with him and not flirting with him
when Macaque rescues him from Yin and Jin, he mistakes him for Monkie King (which Macaque just chuckles at) and doesn’t realize who he is. he ends up reading up on the Lore with Sandy (who saw him fly in and got him some tea in case he was still freaked out or smth), and is terrified upon realizing its Macaque, who the book says is evil. Sandy’s all like “well he helped you right?” so Tang is conflicted, but overall set on “yea hes evil the Lore says so”
Tang gets caught by LBD after going home to his apartment, finding her there looking for Sun Wukong. Tang is sassy and skeptical per usual, and because he doesn’t turn over the info (that he doesnt even have, but she thinks she does bc she saw him with Macaque before), he curses him as a warning, to show him how powerful she can be. Mei tries to get him out of his apartment that morning (she works at Pigsy’s too) but he plays at being sick. she leaves the building, so Tang is able to slip out easily and head to the mountains to see if he can find Macaque, bc he did help him before, and might know what’s going on
Red Sun turns back into a human(?) after Macaque’s heart is returned, and stays with Macaque and the gang so that Macaque can guide him in controlling the fire himself (and totally NOT because he’d miss them)
Wukong is still well known as the Monkie King and all the lore and stuff with him is basically the same as it was in the series, except the whole “Wukong murdered Macaque” thing didn’t happen, and was a misconception bc they DID know each other as kids, but Macaque disappeared after meeting Red Son, and LBD cursed Wukong WAAAY after that for the lols
also a small detail that I couldn’t illustrate here; Macaque doesn’t start with blonde fur, he starts with white fur! thought that would be a cute nod to that one interpretation of Macaque with white fur, and the fandom’s whole theory that he used to have white fur, but lost it, except that, instead of getting burned or bc he was killed, it’s just cause Tang messed with his hair dye hehe
hope this wasn’t too too much nsjsjs,, I just really love this movie, it being one of my favorites of all time, and ofc when I saw the Inkypages content with it, I got inspired,, I hope it was okay that I took that idea and ran with it like a football,, hehe,, maybe I’ll make a fic out of it! def been thinking abt it, just dunno if I’ll do it yet,,,
og idea by @pechachaos
check them out!!! they’re SUPER talented,,!!
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alovelyburn · 1 year
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Rambles about the Conviction Arc Part 7
I really should have added the first few pages of “To Holy Ground Part1” to the last one since it’s back to Godo but we can’t change the past.
Anyway. this part picks up at a bit of an odd spot really since there’s a lot of different threads going on. We have Guts leaving Godo’s and going in search of Casca, the introduction of Luca and crew (and Casca’s “alternate” name, Elaine), and of course Farnese being pre-redemptive crazy Farnese along with Mozgus who is surprisingly interesting to talk about.
Point is this is probably going to be a little more disjointing than usual but whatever, we’ll live with it. Transitional chapters and all that.
Rambles about the Conviction Arc Part 7
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1. It’s so funny to see Rickert being terrified of Puck that way, because... I mean I get the point – he had a very traumatic experience with supernatural beings and so its like a phobia basically, but its just.. its PUCK.That said...
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The fact that he pushes past that fear to thank Puck for basically saving Guts’ humanity though, that’s one of the things that makes Rickert an admirable (and healthy, relatively speaking) person.  Someone that honestly Guts should probably learn from. Which, I mean that’s not saying anything new, even Guts knows that.
...and honestly, look at Puck he’s so cute.
I’ve never been a huge Puck fan, so I’ve never been torn up about his loss of prominence, but man that sure is cute.
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Anyway back to the meaty bits.
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2. Going back to one of my favorite subjects in recent days I guess... Godo is often seen as a father figure for Guts, and I think that is accurate but he’s also... one of many cautionary tales for what Guts could become if he doesn’t watch himself.
Think back to the Golden Age when Guts went in search of his meaning. At that time, when Guts asked why Godo is a blacksmith...
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And Godo was like, “I don’t know, it’s just what I’ve always done.” His relationship with the hammer is analogous to Guts’ relationship with the sword, and Guts promptly follows Godo’s logic...
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those words settled into Guts in a certain way – he embraced the idea that there is nothing for him other than the sword, that it is part of him the way Godo’s hammer is a part of Godo himself.
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say that Guts shouldn’t devote himself to the sword. Guts has always had an incredibly intense relationship with swords. I’ve gone over this before really – his relationship with his sword is the most consistent and the strongest connection he has. That’s why he lost it when the Dragonslayer proved to be insufficient to fight Griffith. And I’m not one to down on that relationship, Guts fucking loves swords, but....
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This is the other side of that scene.
Godo and Guts are similar in many ways. Rather than choosing, they had that choice made for them by the circumstances in which they were raised. Like Guts, Godo was in danger of living in isolation, consumed by his life of steel... until he met Erica. This connection allowed him to feel more like a person and less, presumably, like a machine.
This bit is especially important though:
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Despite having found that connection, he reverts to type at the end of his life. He “leans into it alone,” as he says. Maybe he was too set in his ways, who knows. When he talked about Guts, comparing him to a overused, cracked and rusted sword that’s begun to break, maybe he was speaking from experience. Well, he probably was.
But he sees that there remains a core to Guts that can be saved – the good steel at the center that never rusts - that can be reborn if tempered properly.
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And there it is – “Don’t turn out like me.” Don’t end up an emotional hermit living on steel alone.
I’m not a “Guts’s fixation on swords is bad for him” type of chick, but I do think he uses it as a crutch similarly to the way Griffith used   both the dream and Guts himself as a defense against the stress and pain brought on by each other. The way Griffith buries himself in his dream to avoid dealing with the pain of losing Guts, Guts buries himself in the sword to avoid dealing with the pain of losing the Hawks.
What I’m saying is, there’s nothing wrong with the intensity of Guts’ relationship with the sword per se, te problem is doesn’t make room for anything else.  So Godo, whose life was consumed by steel, who was able to form a human connection or two but ultimately ends up leaning into death on his own, is able to look at Guts, see someone who is beginning to go down that same path, and tell him... “Let it go. Embrace the people you love. Let go of the pain and the rage. Don’t live just for the sword.  Don’t turn out like me.”
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This is interesting too.  Because though he’s decided to try and hold onto the flame that is Casca, he hasn’t really changed the way he thinks or the way he acts. Because there he goes again, rushing off without looking back, not even realizing that he’s letting yet another person he loves fall through his fingers without so much as an acknowledgment, leaving footprints in the snow behind him one more time as he disappears..
It’s a whole thing about Guts, really. He’s myopic as hell.
Moving on!  I mean, it probably goes without saying that I always have more to say about main characters than like Luca and such (although I love Luca), but just a headsup. Although I mean, I won’t know whether I’m going to launch into an analysis of Joachim or something until I get there. Anyway, first stop is Farnese.
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3. It’s so interesting how much Farnese has changed. I hear that she’s become a completely different character often, which I’m not sure I really agree with - that wasn’t my impression in the past but we’ll see how it reads to me this time.
As of right now, though, I think a lot of the differences come down to a difference in her understanding of the world and her place in it. Later we’ll find out that she was sent to the Holy Iron Chain Knights because she was impossible to manage at home, but it’s like when she got there she grabbed onto role that with both hands and clung for dear life.
I think it’s the first time she felt like she was doing something with herself - she had real power and a real purpose to dedicate herself to and after years of being called a devil child and treated like a monster, that resonated with her. So she dove into it, and dedicated herself.  The fact that the role didn’t fully fit her, the fact that it was kind of imposed on her, was secondary. Right up until a crack is driven into her belief system by her time with Guts and the “miracles” he brings along with him, and now when we catch up with her here, she’s starting to struggle... and as we know, eventually that struggle will just tear her whole belief system apart. 
In the meantime, however, thinking back to that bit about how being commander of the knights is the only time she’s felt like she had true power and a real mission in the world...
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...this could only have been incredibly devastating. Because she’s been taking her job seriously, and she finds out that she was only ever meant to be a ceremonial prop.
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And that power and purpose can be stripped from her in an instant. And that means means she never really had that power to begin with.
Anyway there is a lot about her that has changed but – and im sure I’ll blah blah about this later one but ima say a bit now anyway – to some degree the fact that she changes entirely when she finds something new to cling to is part of her character in itself, isn’t it? Just the same way she remodeled her entire personality to fit into the Holy See’s demands, she kind of remodels herself when she leaves as well. I’d like to think her story is about discovering the person she really is after her lifetime of trying to figure it out, but who knows.
Anyway, I miss her old hairstyle.
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4. Mozgus is a pretty interesting character honestly, and pretty on theme for Berserk. He also serves as another confirmation of some of the light/dark, good/evil blurring in the mythos of the series.  I have a lot to say about him and his followers and how they reflect the story...
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That said, hes also a pretty ridiculous character. Just his looks alone are bizarre and out of place in Berserk nevermind the way his entire face turns into a mess of wrinkles and veins when he gets mad. I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just so weird. I know Berserk has never been quite as straight up serious and grimdark as people imagine it to be – it’s always had Puck in it for God’s sake – but its still pretty rare for a human to be so bizarrely inhuman looking in the series.
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5. Anyway, I know this scene is where we first see Casca in the “present,” and I have some thoughts about her situation, but I’ll stop for the moment to say that I love Luca. She’s one of my favorite relatively minor characters, and honestly I like her more than a lot of the larger ones, so yay for Luca.
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I have such a hard time connecting the Elaine period of Casca’s life to the... well, Casca periods. Like I know that’s kind of the point – she isn’t the woman she was, she’s essentially a child in a woman’s body. But it’s just so odd to watch, you know?
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6. Anyway, Isidro. I know he’s a bit of a controversial character with some fans (much like the whole “RPG group”) but personally I’ve always liked him. I do think he’s meant to echo back to Guts but, aside from being a generally sillier person than Guts ever was, he’s more like Guts in his teenage pre-Hawks days than Guts as a kid. It’s not as direct a parallel as, say, Gaiseric/Skull Knight and Guts, but Isidro’s stubbornness and drive, the way It’s impossible to get him to stop pushing toward what he’s trying to accomplish, that’s something he has in common with Guts and also with Griffith for that matter. Not that I expect him to be an epic hero.
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Of course his larger personality is very much his own. Just the fact that he uses non-lethal poisons says it all, and he does come off as much more of an actual child than Guts or Griffith ever did.
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7. You know those characters where the more the enemy dismisses them the harder they’re about to get their ass kicked? Yeah Guts is one of those characters. It’s not like I can’t understand why a group of skilled assassins or fighters or... I’m not sure what these specific Kushans are, careerwise, but anyway it’s not like I can’t understand why they’d assume they could take him on but just, you almost have to feel bad for them, because they have no idea what they’re walking into.
And it’s funny because Guts isn’t even trying, like he’s mostly just annoyed that they won’t get out of his way.
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THIS MOVE IS COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE, WTF GUTS. YOU’RE WEARING ARMOR, ACT LIKE IT.
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Last time I was in Berserk fandom, this guy was really popular in some circles and I’m really not clear on why. that’s all.
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And here’s our egg of the perfect world.
You know, I kind of appreciate how we see the world through his eyes (literally) - it contextualizes the reason he wished for what he wished for in a way. While his little hole was (mostly) safe and (mostly) comfortable for him, as it was the only thing he knew... his view of the world outside is... not great.
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8. I’m pretty sure this is the first time we really starts to spend time with the truly disadvantaged people in Berserk’s world. Griffith used to be part of that world, in a way (in terms of his social class), but by the time we meet him he’d already escaped it and aside from that, he was never a refugee which is just even worse. Guts was really from a completely different “society” than the rest of the world, having just grown up as a citizen of nothing, more or less.
So let’s talk about Mozgus.
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9. He’s a weird character, like I said before, but I do think he directly reflects the nature of the religion (and the god) he represents – and also serves as a primer and reflection for parts of Griffith’s role. LET ME EXPLAIN.
So the Idea of Evil, the human-created god of Berserks world, is an entity that serves the desires of humanity but not by protecting humans from suffering, only by explaining that suffering. This is why it’s called the Idea of Evil right, it’s a different thing than being called the embodiment of evil or something to that effect, because what Berserk’s god represents isnt’ malice so much as the idea that malice exists as a reason for suffering. The idea that if a person is in pain it’s because of evil or bad karma or something rather than because sometimes bad shit happens and there’s no reason and no purpose.
As such you can call it something of a dual-natured deity – a servant of humanity that fulfills mankind’s wishes but does so through dealing out pain. And the Holy See itself reflects that – save humanity, persecute outsiders, support nations, burn the witches. This is reflected in Farnese as well, during her days as Holy See commander – her sadism and pyrophilia regarding burning corpses in concert with her genuine desire to protect humanity from the Hawk of Darkness, or her earnest desire ot save, say, this child from starvation even if it means forgiving illegal activity from the mother.
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So okay Mozgus, he’s like that too, though he reaches an entirely new level with it.
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I do not think he’s lying when he says he’s impressed by this woman’s love, her willingness to risk herself for the well-being of her baby. He actually does bring the baby to medical help. I’m sure he does feel sorry for the people who are starving to death.
And yet...
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He has the mother brutally tortured as punishment for her transgressions. And yet...
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He cries as he expresses his hope that she will survive and come through it intact.
Which I do think he’s being honest about, but ultimately it doesn’t matter – but more on that in a hot second. The point is he’s a bit more complicated than he initially seems. It makes sense since he’s basically an inquisitor, like this isnt far off from things that the church actually did. 
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(As a sort of irrelevant sidenote, the torture room is SO Devilman? It’s got the same kind of layout and vibe as the scene where Akira finds the Makimuras.)
Anyway, visually, the difference between the main tower, which is brightly lit and comfortable, and the torture room reminds me very much of say Falconia vs. the darkness of chaos of Pandemonium, but this isn’t unique to Mozgus or Griffith’s setup either – that “heaven and hell live side by side and are controlled by the same people” setup is repeating idea in Berserk and it goes to the core of the story’s light/dark, good/evil theme. Godhand are both Angels and Devils. Elfhelm is a paradise with dark spot in its heart. The one who bears the light lives in darkness, and inside darkness light is found.
So, for me, the interconnectivity of light and dark, good and evil – and the way darkness is not always destructive and light is not always constructive – are at the heart of Berserk. ...honestly, I’d say it’s the main theme of the story.  And in that way, it’s unsurprising that...
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In the end, the kindness he shows the baby doesn’t save it, because he ruins the baby’s mother. And how is an infant supposed to survive in the care of a broken parent who can’t take care of it, or even perceive when it’s died?
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Now again, Mozgus is absurd but he still embodies this theme, and the extent to which he does is reflected in his relationship to his personal band of torturers – the outcast people that he did save. Even the way he’s portrayed through his followers’ eyes – cloaked in shadow but lit from above, echoes that light/dark theme.
And here is where the Griffith comparison comes in. on a shallow level Mozgus has, like Femto/NeoGriffith, his angelic presentation and his dark side in both his human and pseudoapostle forms. As a human, the dark side shows in the form of his grotesque anger, and once he becomes a pseudo-apostle, he literally has both an angelic form and a monstrous one. 
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And like Griffith he has paid for his influence and power through damage to himself – his prostrations that leave his face smashed flat, and his hobbled knees that have already taken his ability to run and are edging on rendering him incapable of walking.
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But most obviously and importantly, I think... look at the way his disciples talk about him – the way they see him, and the reason he chooses them and how he talks about that.
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It’s just Griffith’s relationship to the Apostles, who were themselves humans driven out by humanity and brought to the point of despair. There’s a whole thing later in the series where the Apostles are referenced as people who were rejected by humanity and that is part of Griffith’s hold over them - his ability to bring them into the world again, to offer them another chance. And don’t get me wrong I’m aware that Griffith’s hold is literally supernatural, but they’re also explicitly described as acting to protect humanity because it’s their desire, too.
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Similarly, Mozgus is able to forge a control over his disciples by offering them salvation - a chance to be something other than outcasts. Even if it makes them monsters, that means more to them than anything.
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You even get this shot which resembles some of those Neo Griffith images in tone and composition.
That was a bit of a tangent so lets go back to uh following the plot as it actually occurs....
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10. Which means it’s time to meat the rest of Luca’s crew. I really hope that Casca can meet with Luca again before the ending, though with Miura gone I’m kind of expecting that to NOT happen. I don’t know how important it would be for the plot, after all, so I don’t know that Miura would have mentioned it to Mori.
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I know some people are very protective of Nina but I’m gonna be honest – she’s one of the few characters in fiction that I actually dislike. It’s not that I don’t understand where she’s coming from, because I do. She’s in a terrible situation, trapped in this area where people are all gunning for one another, and she’s sick, and she’s scared. I get it. It’s just that I find her annoying.
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11. Oh my God Jerome implying that Farnese has a crush on Mozgus, I can’t deal.
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I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before but Serpico’s fool act is amusing as hell, especially once you’ve seen him when he’s not being ridiculous.
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13. I’m fascinated by the conflicting accounts of what is 99% sure to be Void’s Eclipse. It’s very accurate to the way history and legends change over time.
Even so the consistent elements do spin a tale, albeit an incompletely one: a sage in a tower charged with treason or something to that effect who wouldn’t break even when faced with intense torture who eventually reached his lowest point and became Void by sending the kingdom into Hell. It’s interesting because if that really is what happened – assuming we don’t find out that the Sage was the evil one the whole time or something to that effect, then Gaiseric was the bad one wasn’t he? Which is to say, Skull Knight was the one in the wrong, and who drove the Sage to become Void.
Which honestly works very well for me – it fits the way those who accept the Sacrifice are portrayed - as victims of... poor luck, or poor circumstances, or poor relationships or all of the above. And as I’ve said before, having the sacrifices themselves as source of their despair does genuinely change the way I perceive them.
That said, Void and Femto have a lot in common. VERY similar origin story, but what’s interesting to me is that Void appears to have taken the entire damn kingdom down with him (I mean, the city at least)... and also that he was seemingly “easier” to break than Griffith since the torture alone triggered the eclipse. Assuming we’re not missing anything which I’m sure we are.
Void even ends up with Skull Knight, who is basically his Guts. I mean I don’t expect an exact 1:1 parallel - there are already differences of course, but it does go to how history repeats itself.
So, for the sake of not offending the tumblgods, I’m just going to slide over the orgy with Nina and Joachim, but there are a few important points to note. For example this bit:
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14. A priest who was suspected of heresy and thus tortured seemingly into madness. Now, was he spreading heresy? I mean... probably by Mozgus’ standard, because he’s talking about the revelations of a goddess of flame. But it’s interesting because for those of us who know the story already we know that he’s actually correct – the hawk shall alight and, after it repels the [kushans], “it shall lead us to be one nation.” It’s also funny because Griffith is the messiah of the Holy See, so this priest seems to have been punished by the Holy See for preaching revelations about the Holy See’s savior.
Then, going back to where I just left off (sorry for being a pingpong ball), in the midst of this pagan orgy we are given the identity of the goddess of flame...
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Which is Slan.
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15. FREAKING CANNIBALISM I really have nothing to add aside from jknajhbdaj  cannibalism.
I also have no idea how to handle Luca’s spontaneously spanking Nina like she’s a child or something, help.
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16. When Casca gets assaulted by the cultists and she has that flashback to the Eclipse, it’s just interesting because as far as I can remember she always flashes to being raped by the Apostles – she never really thinks about the Femto thing that I can recall? 
Whether that has any significance I couldn’t say – could be that Miura just didn’t want to use that specific part too much lest it lose its impact, but I do think that kind of contributes to the belief some people have (not me, to be clear) that the rape wasn’t a rape, since she rarely connects it to her mindbreak.
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This whole scene is some serious Devilman shit though – it’s just Ryo’s Sabbath disco in Medieval times, especially once Casca’s brand starts attracting spirit.
Aaaand that’s it for today this is long enough. See you on the flipside when we get back to Guts and learn a little more about Farnese.
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tyrantisterror · 7 months
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what do you like about vampires that appeals to you?
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Man, it's hard to articulate my answer to this. There's just so much to like!
Vampires have this quintessential Gothic Horror spookiness to them - all those motifs of decay and things that were lost or forgotten rising from the grave to remind us of their terrible presence, lingering well past the point where they should have left. Their almost the personification of that genre in my mind, really - sentimental and melodramatic, tragic and camp and terrifying and alluring.
They're creatures who straddle two different worlds and belong to neither - between life and death, human and maneater, person and monster. They have to pretend to be what they once were to continue their current and often miserable existence as something quite different.
I like them best when their nature as shapeshifters is highlighted - Stoker went off when he gave them, like, fifty fucking different forms. Particles dancing in moonlight, creeping green fog, bats, wolves, swarms of rats, all excellent, allowing vampires to be truly versatile threats despite their many weaknesses, and playing with the idea of them as ambush predators. Always hiding behind a new mask, waiting for you to get close so they can strike.
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They have the guile to look human until they're ready to sink their teeth into you, and that's terrifying.
But there's also a pathos inherent to them, a tragedy. Whether they know it or not, vampires are, for all their power, pathetic. They can never be what they once were, their humanity stolen from them. Many of them are reduced to acting as parasites, hiding on the fringes as they struggle to maintain their existence in a world that (often rightly) hates them for it. Many are cursed with the memory of what it was to be human, which makes the inescapable nature of their current cursed half-life all the more tragic.
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And all of that is really juicy from a writing/drawing perspective... but, more importantly given the discussion that prompted this ask, it's really fucking hot.
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They're basically orchid mantises, after all - predators in an alluring shape by design, meant to lure you close so they can fucking get you. Vampires have been sexualized so heavily in fiction in part because that works with their monster concept - they are predators who wear human faces to catch their prey (which is probably why they're so often put up against their sibling monster archetype, werewolves, who are their opposite - predators that strip themselves of human skin to hunt), so it only makes sense for that face to be hot. And there's something enticing about being lured into something pleasingly dangerous - erotically life-threatening.
I mean, so long as it stays strictly fantasy, of course. Which, vampires being not real, it kind of has to.
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It also helps that a lot of vampires - not all or even most, but a lot - seem to have so much fucking fun being vampires. I think the appeal of rooting for monster characters lies in feeling monstrous yourself, and in that case there is something so appealing about the vampire's transgressive existence - that yes, they are predators of humans and enemies of the species they once belonged to, but that's a problem for the normies, not the vampire.
They're lonely and wicked and tragic and maniacal, and they want to hold you down firmly but perhaps a bit gently as they tenderly move your head to one side and lean in for a deadly kiss that is almost always portrayed as more sexual than painful despite its lethal consequences... like, it's perilous, yes, but it's romantically perilous, right? Especially since they often seem very keen to let you join them, to share eternal cursed life as part of their deadly embrace... it's a dark, fucked up sort of fantasy, but it's one that can seem really appealing if you have the right things wrong with you.
Also, fangs, goth wardrobe, red or yellow eyes with slit nocturnal pupils, nosferatu claws... like I'm not going to justify it those things are just hot to me.
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arctichotch · 2 years
Text
https://internetprincess.substack.com/p/whos-afraid-of-amber-heard
“We lose everything by creating a dichotomy between Amber Heard’s story and the theoretical stories of good victims, better victims, “real” victims — while, in the process, implying that her sustained public degradation is only bad because of what it will do to less difficult women.”
“Similarly, the mainstream MeToo movement offered temporary catharsis in place of systemic change; Hollywood play-acted a revolution so that its men could keep up their abuse unscathed. There is something phenomenally painful in watching a material backlash erupt in response to a movement that was never allowed to be anything more than aesthetic.”
“For anyone familiar with cycles of domestic abuse, this is nothing new — reactive violence is an extremely common result of the psychological degradation and fear responses that come with sustained abuse. Of course, violence is never okay, but the complete dehumanization of women who behave imperfectly in torturous circumstances is just one half of a Catch-22 which conspires to keep all women silent. If you were abused and did nothing, they’ll say you weren’t abused at all, and so you’re a liar and therefore an abuser; if you were abused and you fought back, then it means you were the abuser to begin with.”
“I think it’s essential to a much larger point (and, in reality, far more controversial) to believe Amber Heard is a victim while also acknowledging her wrongdoings. Once you start pushing the idea that a woman has to be perfect in order to be believed, you head down a road that ends with the systemic exorcism of any woman too human to be a good victim.”
“Heard’s story is a study in damnation, and it’s not a new one — when she didn’t have photographs of the abuse, it was proof she was lying. When she did, it means she faked them. When she had no witness accounts, it meant the violence never happened; when she did, it was proof she planned a grand conspiracy to bring Depp down. She was too loving at some points, too cruel at others; either so calm and collected that she must be lying or so distraught and uncertain that she must not know what she’s talking about. Amber Heard might not be a perfect victim, but she sure as hell is a typical one.”
“So if you’re one of the many people saying that you “believe victims, just not Amber Heard” — that you don’t think all women are psycho bitch liars, just Amber Heard — I sincerely regret to inform you that you are lying to yourself and others. Here’s the long and the short of it: if you can take an honest look at the evidence in front of you and not believe that Amber Heard is a victim of abuse, there are exceptionally few women who you actually would believe if they were to receive the same treatment.”
“This trial has conjured, in perfect, terrifying detail, a near-comprehensive list of reasons why any woman can be discredited, villainized, and crucified in the court of public opinion: if you ever dared to do anything but lie down and let yourself be hurt. If you’re mentally ill, or if you can reasonably be painted as mentally ill. (Womanhood is basically a symptom in and of itself, by the way — the psychiatrist who spot-diagnosed Amber Heard with histrionic personality disorder literally cited being “overly girly” as evidence.) If he's charming enough, handsome enough. Even if he's not handsome anymore — even if, hypothetically, he looks like a leathery skin sack gently deflating before our eyes as he leaks grease and prescription benzos — they will remember that he once was, and it will be enough. Whether it be with Johnny Depp or Brock Turner, the fantasy of a man’s illustrious past or bright future will always take priority over a woman’s present.”
“What’s happening to Heard is no accident. It’s a cosmic punishment rained down from every aspect of the patriarchal establishment — mainstream Hollywood, right-wing media, the GOP — that’s intended not only to kick her down one last time for daring to stand back up in the first place, but to serve as a looming warning to every woman who might be considering doing the same.”
“… if this could happen to Amber Heard, it could happen to anybody. Any strategy that capitalizes on the cultural fear of an angry, aggressive, crazy woman to justify financial and legal abuse will be used a thousandfold on more marginalized women who don’t have access to Heard’s social, cultural, or monetary currency.”
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ultravioart · 9 months
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Okay so! If Aurora was the only omnic that was unable to be overtaken by Anubis,
This SERIOUSLY makes Maelstrom's lore that much more SOMA vibes/horror, and I kind of love that because it REALLY fits his themes of "what is the difference between man and omnic" and what's the fine line between consciousness and sentience, alive and imitation of life, Echo vs Aurora type existence.
Basic oc lore rundown:
Maelstrom used to be a Sama Filipino marine eco conservationist. He often went out on boat runs to manage coral conservation and take samples. One day, Vishkar messed up as they do and a rig explosion occured off the coast of the Phillipines. He was caught in the aftermath and sent to the hospital in critical condition. A huge PR disaster for Vishkar, so Vishkar offered to put him through experimental treatment to try and save his life. He agreed. However, the treatment failed, and instead they simply recorded a brain scan and put it into a HADAL omnic body with some light tech upgrades. (HADAL are my invented deep sea exploration / underwater welding omnics.) He was returned to his family as a "suitable replacement + hush money"
He still believes his soul was transferred into the omnic body, but others see him simply as an object (Think: Echo like personality copy) or as a clone of the man who had died.
During the first omnic crisis, the Philippine shores were attacked and Maelstrom was beginning to be overtaken by Anubis ai. He managed to get his family to safety, fight off a few invading drone omnics, but ultimately had a self induced shut down to avoid being overtaken completely.
(THIS is that part that is SOMA horror vibes. When Maelstrom learns only Aurora was able to deny Anubis due to her sentience, this would make Maelstrom question EVERYTHING. He thought he was sentient, does this mean he isn't? What is he then? Is he really just a learned echo type tech, not truely sentient, only mimicking???? Is he even alive??? Was his family right? He would be terrified, and I think this is how Ramattra could help ground Maelstrom, and help Maelstrom embrace his new omnic identity. In reality, Maelstrom is just a digitized human brain, so imo he IS human and sentient, it's just that Aurora's sentience surpasses any human one because of Aurora's set up and computing power. The part of Maelstrom that was being taken over during the crisis was Maelstrom's base omnic coding, not his brain scan simulation. But it's impossible for Maelstrom to know this, because Vishkar encryption is too hard to deal with to get a proper peak at his inner workings. Sombra has tried, but doing it incorrectly could kill Maelstrom, and the only people that can actually test it are specific Vishkar employees that would want to capture/silence/kill Maelstrom since he is "rogue Vishkar tech"... Vishkar wants to keep its skeletons in its closet, they don't want a Omnica type lawsuit for illegal experiments with human brain and human sentient tech.
I have come up with the idea that maybe Vishkar creates simulations to test if a human is compatible with using hard light technology... meaning for every human user like Satya, a variety of 'experiments' were conducted on clone copies of her brain ran in simulations, essentially torturing digitized humans until they get the connections right, then deleting the evidence and applying it to the actual og human. That would be a fun headcanon to explain by hard light tech is so hard to find suitors for, and give reason to why Vishkar would even be messing with brain sim tech for Maelstrom.)
After the first crisis aka once Anubis is finally contained, it triggers Maelstrom to come back online as no more Anubis transmissions are detected. This means he wakes up years later after Anubis devastated the world, but now with an Iris awoken sentience + human sentience. He interprets the Iris sentience as a "guiding jinn" (Sama beliefs that a jinn can inhabit a person after a near death experience) and everything he once knew is different. His family had moved on from him in those years. The Phillipines are starkly anti-omnic now as Anubis's attacks devastated the Phillipines. His human community rejects him, omnics are wary of this omnic that has unreadable encryption in his wireless transmissions and they reject him too. He is lost, and outcast. So he follows a calling he had felt ever since he awoke, into the ocean depths.... (insert the rest of his lore, amd how he came to work with NullSector and occasionally Talon, as explained in previous posts.)
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mejomonster · 1 year
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I read a bit of liu huo jiao chou manhua (it's on bilibili comics app) and my Chinese reading is getting rustier by the day but some random things I liked/found interesting:
Main guy is magic (?) Leader who slept in coffin until present and now he's a devil (?). Anyway the important thing is he's an "immortal" from thousands of years ago, with powers, who was around when humans and Yao went to war. This comes in later because:
In a way it reminds me of if priest took Guardian's live action drama adaptation mutant setup and played around with THAT concept, to explore the potential of mutants/Yao living with humans, people with mixed heritage, a secret bureau that finds mutants and handles mutants cases, an immortal from the past (a la Show Shen Wei) who was around during the initial human/Yao clashes ages ago and (I'm guessing) part of that war (though it was harder to read the past panels for me so idk). In THAT respect, lhjc reminds me of Guardian the Show version and if priest took some of the basically whipped together to pass censorship sci fi (ish) changes, and did something much more solidly structured and thought out and unique with that core premise
In that sense, if you like mutants like xmen (I sure do) then I think lhjc would appeal
I also get the sense of elements of novel Shen Wei being taken and reworked. This is not to say the long haired immortal guy is the same as shen wei or remotely similar as a character (so far I have no idea but I presume he's Quite Different and his own unique specific characterization cause priest is good at making unique niche characters I love). I mean that like... the concept of an immortal, who's "monstrous" and unknown, who has a large command of power and scary potential origins and you aren't sure what their motives are but are Concerned. In Guardian (both book and show) there's the sense at the start of Zhao Yunlan investigating Shen Wei and uncertain, of him and the SID members at times picking up inhuman/scary vibes from shen wei. But overall? He's their ally and quite solidly so, he's pretending to be human so he's not Flaunting the otherworldly terrifying Intense Power and feels somewhat tied to humanity, and we get his pov quite early in the novel in snippets. In contrast, in lhjc? The long haired guys FIRST IMPRESSION to the main guy is: super strong unknowable "devil" who they have no idea the motives of. It's sort of shen weis theoretical MO, but played directly. Instead of a secret investigating uncertainty of a "human" professor shen, the main guy in lhjc IMMEDIATELY sees a super-powered threat immortal bitch and is like "what are you? Where you from? What do you plan to do?!" And they kinda fight a little with fire. Its a very different vibe, and I like seeing the similar core premise being used Very Differently. It creates a very different kind of character, very different type of first meeting and impression, and this long haired devil guy comes off WAY more mysterious.
The side crew is cute I like the old lady and old man
I love silly mutant powers (again I love xmen and bureau of transformer lol)
So the protagonist screams queer like before anything else dude comes into a JOB first impression and all decked out in jewelry, rings and necklaces, unruly hair, and a flashy as hell red jacket. Am going to read the novel and find out if he's flashy there but like lol. Manhua wise he has both obvious Main Character energy design, and also clearly likes standing out and doing his own thing. (And by manhua visual typecast I'd guess he's the bottom and immortal devils the top if they gotta get labeled, but again I'm curious what novel has to say because priest doesn't always typecast expected appearances with expected behaviors which I prefer a lot.. just let characters be whoever they turn out as you know). Also novel curiosity wise... I am gonna read soon and saw in the footnotes a few references to Taiwan queer films etc so I expect priest has out and proud protagonists again, which I'll find out if so. I always appreciate the amount of bi protagonists I find in priest novels that actually fucking talk about it... and all the queer characters in general just like... thinking about it sometimes or bringing it up. Like fuck man I'm gay, it would be a bit weird if I NEVER brought it up when politics came up or my dating life or talking about a cutie in a show or making a joke like? Some danmei... mostly not ones I've read though wooh... sort of avoid the mention altogether except in the ppl asking each other out and like. Idk to me a character realistically Might bring up their attractions once in a while just for various reasons as it is like you know a trait that effects how the world treats them and how they exist and interact with it. Now in the manhua I do expect it skirted over mostly cause I tend to guess less explicit mentions or less mentions generally in a comic, unrelated but btw I LOVE Breaking Through the Clouds manhua. One of my fucking favorites)
Okay so this old man is <3 everything to me. His silly little Flower vine powers. I should write an au where Shen Wei can only turn his hands into vines instead of anything strong lol (although in the dmbj world those vine tentacles could kill thousands) although I guess in theory wouldn't Show shen wei just Learn it if he met this old guy? Anyway I love this old man
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And then THIS okay so immortal devil seems uh intimidating. But his chibi art is also SO cute I can't take this manhua as scary or serious much at all. He's just a little cute powerhouse that's all. A cute monster that thinks the protagonist is a cute kitty ToT
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Also I thought it was cute the coins have faces
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And finally. The name scan thing was cool. It was like a puzzle in retrospect, I wish I'd thought more carefully to catch it before the reveal
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